JAMMU, Jul 26: Social activist Manpreet Singh on Sunday said the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should be viewed as “an important milestone, but not the end of the accountability process,” arguing that India’s democracy would ultimately be judged not by political announcements but by whether institutions are reformed after public failures.
His remarks came a day after the Government accepted Pradhan’s resignation following weeks of nationwide student protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. The demonstrations, which began over concerns surrounding the examination system, evolved into a broader movement demanding political and institutional accountability.
The protests concluded after the Government accepted the protesters’ principal demands, including the Education Minister’s resignation, financial compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following examination-related controversies, and assurances that no punitive action would be taken against those who participated in the demonstrations.
Addressing the media, Singh described the outcome as a significant achievement for the student movement but cautioned against treating the resignation as a complete resolution of the crisis.
“The resignation answers the question of political responsibility. It does not, by itself, answer the question of institutional accountability. A change of minister is meaningful only if it is followed by meaningful reform. Otherwise, the same failures can return under different leadership.”
According to Singh, the controversy surrounding India’s competitive examination system was not an isolated episode but the culmination of years of public frustration over repeated allegations of paper leaks, cancelled examinations, administrative lapses, and declining confidence in the integrity of the examination process.
He argued that lasting reform would require more than a change in political leadership.
“If institutions remain unchanged, if oversight remains weak, and if accountability mechanisms are not strengthened, then the problem survives even after one resignation. Democracies are measured by whether they correct systems—not merely whether they change faces.”
Singh said public attention should now shift towards measurable institutional reforms, including greater transparency within examination authorities, independent investigations into examination irregularities, stronger safeguards against future paper leaks, and appointments based on competence and integrity.
“These,” he said, “will determine whether the recent developments represent genuine reform or merely a temporary political response.”