New Delhi | The Congress on Saturday said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was a victory for the students who maintained sustained pressure but on the government but this was not the end as the prime minister is yet to apologise to the students.
The opposition party called it a victory for a generation tired of struggling in an "unfair and corrupt" system, and for an opposition that demonstrated rock solid unity and solidarity with the students.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Pradhan's resignation was a "victory of truth" and a defeat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "stubbornness".
He also said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's turn to apologise and take strict action against all those who used lathis, batons and pellet guns against the agitating students.
In his first reaction after Pradhan resigned, Kharge said, "The echo of India's students has finally reached the doors of the arrogant power." "This is the victory of our millions of youth who raised their voices on the streets across the country to fix the education system... This is the victory of truth and the defeat of Mr Modi's stubbornness," he said.
Kharge also termed it a victory for families who lost "their blood, their children" because of the government's "corruption".
"This is the victory of the united opposition, who raised their voices from Parliament to the streets in the interest of the students.
"Now it is Mr Modi's turn to apologise to our young generation and to take strict action against those who unleashed lathis, batons and pellet guns on them," Kharge said.
Congress general secretary, in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh said, "This is not the end. We still await the prime minister's apology to our students".
He said they still demanded accountability from those who perpetrated atrocities on them, including the use of pellet guns on protestors.
"The incompetent, callous, and arrogant Mantri Pradhan has finally been compelled to resign. It was sustained youth pressure that finally forced the Pradhan Mantri to stop giving him political cover.
"This is a victory for a generation that is tired of struggling in an unfair and corrupt system, and an Opposition that has demonstrated rock-solid unity and solidarity with the students," the Congress leader said.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post on Saturday afternoon following Cockroach Janta Party-led student protests across the country for his ouster over the NEET paper leak issue.
Pradhan said it is not a matter of "individual prestige" for him and he is disturbed to see the series of events that have unfolded in the last 10 days.
"I took responsibility for the NEET paper leak from day one," he said, adding that anti-national forces should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation at Jantar Mantar and across country.