- BJP MLA’s daughter backed Gen Z’s NEET-UG protests.
- She criticised former minister’s resignation, finding tone unremorseful.
- New education minister’s appointment seemed a
- She praised CJP for mobilising apolitical youth effectively.
Content creator Yashaswinee Raje Singh, daughter of former BJP MLA Vikram Singh from Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur Sadar, has expressed support for the Gen Z-led protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, while criticising former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation letter and the appointment of his successor.
The protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began on June 20 and concluded on July 25 after 36 days following Pradhan’s resignation and the government’s acceptance of the remaining demands. Yashaswinee also participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
‘Resignation Not A Watershed Moment’
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Yashaswinee said Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation should not be viewed as the defining achievement of the movement.
“It’s really, really shortsighted to be viewing the resignation as sort of this watershed moment,” she said.
She also criticised the tone of Pradhan’s resignation letter. “The language of the resignation letter itself is more of a martyr’s than of someone who’s remorseful, apologetic and holding themselves to account,” she said.
In his resignation letter, Pradhan had said he was stepping down to prevent the controversy “from harming students’ futures” and to ensure that “anti-national forces do not exploit the situation”.
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Yashaswinee credited the Cockroach Janta Party with mobilising a section of young people who generally avoid political engagement.
“CJP did a very, very great job of galvanising this sort of largely apolitical audience that usually steers clear of such conversations through their innovative messaging, through memes, and their focus was Instagram, which was great because that’s where we saw so much of the ordinary people’s coverage of the protests,” she said.
The nationwide movement drew participation from thousands of students and received support from several Opposition parties.
Yashaswinee also criticised the government’s decision to appoint Pralhad Joshi as the new Union education minister.
“The person who’s been appointed as education minister now… honestly, it feels like a very, very bleak joke,” she told Al Jazeera.
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‘I Avoid Political Discussions With My Father’
Speaking about her family, Yashaswinee said she deliberately maintains distance from political discussions with her father, who represented Fatehpur Sadar as a BJP MLA before losing the seat to Samajwadi Party candidate Chandra Prakash in 2024.
“I don’t even live at home. I’ve been in India for the last three and a half years, and I live by myself,” she said.
“I choose not to participate in that sort of environment at all. I have not visited there (Fatehpur Sadar) for many years. So I maintain a very, very large sort of chasm between all of that and myself. And that is how I am able to say the things I do without feeling like a hypocrite.”
The July 20 protest witnessed clashes between demonstrators and security personnel at several locations in New Delhi, including Parliament Street, Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar.
