BJP rejects reports of offer to shift Dharmendra Pradhan during CJP talks

After reports claimed that the Centre had offered to shift Dharmendra Pradhan to another portfolio during negotiations with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the BJP dismissed the claims as "baseless" and aimed at "sensationalising the issue."

BJP MP and party spokesperson Sambit Patra, on Tuesday (July 28), said no such proposal was ever discussed during the talks.

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Last week, while students were protesting at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding Pradhan's resignation as Union Education Minister, the Centre had allegedly proposed moving him to another ministry during negotiations with CJP delegates, according to several media reports. The proposal was reportedly rejected by CJP negotiators Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, NDTV reported.

BJP rejects reports

Addressing reporters, Patra referred to a report published in a "well-known and respected English-language newspaper" claiming that Union ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh had proposed changing Pradhan's portfolio during talks with CJP representatives, with a new Education Minister expected to take charge.

The report further claimed that the CJP rejected the proposal, following which Pradhan eventually resigned.

Rejecting the claim, Patra said no such discussion had taken place.

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"After reviewing the entire matter, I want to make it absolutely clear that this report published in a respected English newspaper is completely baseless. It is entirely fictional and unfounded. This news has no basis or authenticity and has been published solely to sensationalise the issue," he said.

Centre's reported proposal

The earlier report, citing sources, said Union ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh proposed negotiations with the CJP at Nadda's residence on July 20 — the same day the students' march to Parliament was met with a police crackdown.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had also made a similar claim on July 25, alleging that the government was considering shifting Pradhan to another ministry instead of removing him from the Union Cabinet. Gandhi said such a move would never be accepted by the protesting students.

Pradhan's resignation

Dharmendra Pradhan eventually resigned from the Union Cabinet, saying in a post on X that the developments of the previous 10 days had "saddened" him deeply and that the issue was "not a matter of personal prestige."

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He said he did not want "anti-national forces" to exploit the situation and wanted to ensure that "the unity of the nation remains intact", that "the future of even a single student should not become entangled in legal complications", and that students could focus on their studies and careers.

"Keeping all these considerations in mind, I have sent my resignation to the Hon'ble Prime Minister," he wrote.

Pradhan became only the second Union minister during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure to resign following a major public controversy. The first was M.J. Akbar, who stepped down as Minister of State for External Affairs in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against him during the #MeToo movement.