Bhubaneswar : Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has spoken publicly about his resignation and the protests surrounding the NEET paper leak controversy, saying that some individuals attempted to mislead young people during the agitation.

Addressing a felicitation ceremony for Padma awardees in Sambalpur on Saturday, Pradhan said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his permission to recognise the concerns and aspirations expressed by young protesters.

“I have been a victim of Gen Z,” Pradhan said, while claiming that certain people had attempted to influence and mislead the younger generation as the controversy unfolded.

Pradhan said he told the Prime Minister that the concerns of young people needed to be acknowledged and should not be allowed to become a tool for political exploitation. According to him, Modi accepted his request and subsequently addressed the issue.

The former minister maintained that he did not view the matter as one of personal prestige and said he had remained engaged with the situation from the beginning.

Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on July 25 following weeks of protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination. In his resignation note, he said the move was aimed at ensuring that the students’ interests were protected and that the agitation was not politically exploited.

He reiterated that the government had acted after irregularities were reported in the examination. The matter was subsequently handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, while a re-examination was also conducted.

During his address in Sambalpur, Pradhan also spoke about the importance of India’s young population, saying the country’s youth would play a key role in its ambition to emerge as a global leader. He noted that around two crore children are born in India every year and said the generation entering adulthood would have a significant role in shaping the nation’s future.

His remarks, however, drew criticism from the Biju Janata Dal. BJD Sambalpur district president and former minister Rohit Pujari questioned Pradhan’s handling of the student protests and alleged that the government’s response, including police action during the agitation, contributed to the controversy surrounding his tenure.

The political exchange comes as the debate over the NEET controversy and the government’s handling of the protests continues, with the ruling side and Opposition maintaining contrasting positions on the issue.