How A Paper Leak Protest in 1997 Made Dharmendra Pradhan A Student Leader

The year is 1997 and Janaki Ballabh Patnaik is the Chief Minister of a Congress-led Odisha. Just a few kilometres from the Chief Minister's private residence in Bhubaneswar, around 1,500 students had gathered outside the state secretariat to protest an examination paper leak. One distinct individual in the group of students was Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

According to a 2021 report by The New Indian Express, Pradhan hit the streets of Bhubaneswar as a student leader associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to protest against the Janaki Patnaik's government. 

The New Indian Express report, citing quotes from Pradhan's close associates, states that Pradhan joined student politics at the age of 18 and emerged as an active organiser within the ABVP, the students' wing affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

He studied Anthropology at Utkal University and served as the ABVP's National Secretary twice between November 1994 and 1997.

According to The New Indian Express, Odisha witnessed a controversy over an alleged question paper leak in 1997. At the time, Pradhan was serving as ABVP National Secretary and was on the verge of formally joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The newspaper quoted Prashant Rout, now Principal of RMD Degree College in Bhubaneswar and Pradhan's junior at Utkal University, recalling the demonstration.

"We staged a protest against the Odisha government in front of the secretariat. Around 1,500 students joined us there," Rout said, as quoted by The New Indian Express.

According to his account, the protest was peaceful before police moved against the demonstrators.

"We were quite scared. Pradhan was badly beaten up that time. He had a few fractures too," Rout said, as quoted by the newspaper.

According to Rout's account, campus elections during that period frequently turned violent because of political rivalries. He alleged that during one election, Pradhan was attacked by individuals he identified as Janata Dal supporters after it became apparent he was likely to win.

"He is alive today only out of sheer luck," Rout was quoted as saying while recalling the incident.

Pradhan's years in student politics laid the foundation for a longer organisational career within the BJP. Before becoming Education Minister in 2021, he served as Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and also handled the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Political observers have often credited him with helping expand the BJP's organisational network across Odisha over several decades. That effort culminated in 2024 when the BJP formed its first government in Odisha, ending more than two decades of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) rule under Naveen Patnaik.

The 1997 protest has returned to public attention because of the current controversy surrounding the NEET-UG paper leak.

Thousands of students have recently faced police action in New Delhi during protests over alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination. The issue has become politically charged because it mirrors the very cause that once propelled Pradhan into public prominence.

Opposition parties have insisted that Pradhan resign before any discussion on the NEET issue.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, leading the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, argued that a fair discussion on the examination controversy could only begin after the Education Minister stepped down.

Union Minister and senior BJP leader JP Nadda said the government was fully prepared for a debate on the issue and maintained that it had nothing to hide. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also reiterated that the government had been ready for discussions since the beginning of the Monsoon Session.