- President Murmu accepted Dharmendra Pradhan’s immediate resignation.
- Pradhan resigned amid NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
- Pralhad Joshi received additional charge of Education Ministry.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday accepted the resignation of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Council of Ministers with immediate effect, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In an official statement, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said the resignation was accepted under Article 75(2) of the Constitution of India.
“The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution of India,” the statement said.
Also Read: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation Accepted: Sources
Who Will Head Education Ministry?
The President has also assigned the additional charge of the Ministry of Education to Cabinet Minister Pralhad Joshi, who will continue to handle his existing portfolio.
“Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Shri Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education, in addition to his existing portfolio,” the statement added.
Earlier in the day, Pradhan stepped down as Union Education Minister amid nationwide protests over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. In his resignation letter, he said he was resigning in the larger interest of students and to ensure they were not “trapped in a web of confusion.”
With the President formally accepting his resignation, Pradhan has ceased to be a member of the Union Council of Ministers, while Pralhad Joshi will oversee the Education Ministry until further orders.
Who Is Prahlad Joshi?
Joshi has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Education following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. A five-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka’s Dharwad constituency, Joshi has served as the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines since May 30, 2019.
Before joining the Union Cabinet, Joshi served as the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Karnataka, from 2014 to 2016. He was also a member of the Panel of Chairpersons of the Lok Sabha between 2014 and 2018.
Also Read: PM Modi’s First X Post After Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation: What Did He Say?
He previously headed the BJP’s Karnataka unit and was a member of the Lok Sabha Panel of Chairpersons. Known for his long political career that began with the RSS-backed Idgah Maidan movement in the early 1990s, Joshi will continue to hold his existing portfolios while overseeing the Education Ministry.
