Councilor of Education of the Union Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet on Saturday amid ongoing protests over the alleged leak of National Eligibility Undergraduate Entrance Test (NEET UG) paper.In a letter addressed to his “young friends”, Pradhan said that he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in view of the situation that has developed in Jantar Mantar and in different parts of the country.His resignation ends a ministerial tenure during which he oversaw the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and various reforms in higher education, school education and skills development.
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Much before entering the Union Cabinet, however, Pradhan’s political journey began in student politics in Odisha.
Early life and education
Dharmendra Pradhan was born on June 26, 1969 in Talcher, Odisha, into a political family. His father, Debendra Pradhan, was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who served as Union Minister of State.Pradhan completed his schooling and higher education in Odisha. He studied at Talcher College before obtaining an MA in Anthropology from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar.During his university years, he was actively involved in student politics. He served as president of the Talcher College Students’ Union, an early leadership role that marked the beginning of his political career.
Entrance to the student policy
Pradhan’s association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student organization affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), shaped his early political career.After his stint in campus politics, he continued to work with the organization and later became its national secretary.His years in the ABVP provided organizational experience before entering electoral politics through the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Transition to electoral politics
Pradhan entered electoral politics in 2000 when he was elected Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Pallahara constituency in Odisha.Four years later, he was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Deogarh, marking his entry into national politics.He later served as a member of the Rajya Sabha and held various organizational responsibilities within the Bharatiya Janata Party before joining the Union government.
Ministerial career
Pradhan joined the Narendra Modi-led Union government in 2014 when he was appointed Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas.In 2017, he was elevated to the Council of Ministers as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, where he managed political decisions related to the country’s energy sector.After the cabinet reshuffle in 2021, he took charge as Union Education Minister and Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.As Education Minister, Pradhan was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, expanding skill development initiatives and overseeing policies related to school and higher education.
From campus leadership to Union Cabinet
Pradhan’s political career spans student leadership, organizational responsibilities, state politics and Parliament before his appointment to the Union Cabinet.Starting as a student leader at Talcher College, he moved through the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Bharatiya Janata Party organisation, the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha before taking charge of key ministries in the Union government.His resignation as Union Education Minister marks the latest chapter in a political journey that began on a college campus in Odisha and later spread to some of the country’s top ministerial portfolios.