CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ tirupati l sunday l july 26, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Past instances when Modi govt yielded to public pressure 2015: The first major retreat, when the government sought to amend land acquisition law to make it easier to acquire land for infrastructure and industrial projects. Triggered widespread opposition, govt forced to yield October 2018: Then MoS (External affairs) M J Akbar resigned during the ‘Me Too’ movement after several women accused him of sexual harassment during his days as an editor. Akbar denied the allegations but stepped down Union MoS Jitendra Singh, Minister J P Nadda and CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after the third round of talks held on Saturday evening | PTI November 2021: The biggest policy reversal when Modi announced repeal of the three farm laws. The laws triggered a yearlong agitation, with farmers camping at Delhi’s borders demanding their withdrawal. Law was repealed August 2024: Centre withdrew a UPSC advertisement for lateral recruitment to senior civil services after objections from opposition parties and NDA ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) over the absence of reservation provisions April 2026: The Union government introduced the Delimitation bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026. Proposed delimitation based on 2011 Census. Increases Lok Sabha seats to 850. Was defeated on the floor of the House Mantri Pradhan out in Gen Z debut Humongous victory for satire party as govt accepted all demands; outgoing education minister says he did not want anti-national forces to exploit the situation rajesh kumar thakur @ New Delhi Pralhad Joshi gets addl charge of edu ministry Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been appointed as Education Minister following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the post on Saturday. Joshi has been given additional charge of the Education Ministry besides his role as Consumer Affairs Minister | P7 Stringent penalty for crime syndicates The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 says that individuals involved in paper leaks will get jail terms between 5-10 years, and `50 lakh fine. For organised crime, the bill carries 7 years and a fine of up to `10 crore BJP heavyweight Dharmendra Pradhan, who held on as Union education minister for 1,845 days, was brought down in the end not by an election or a scandal probe, but by a satire party named after a cockroach, coupled with a paper leak he couldn’t wriggle away . The education minister resigned on Saturday citing moral responsibility, after over a month of nationwide protests spearheaded by the CJP and triggered by the alleged NEETUG paper leak and examination irregularities. In an open letter addressed to the youth, Pradhan said he was stepping down to protect the aspirations of India’s young people and prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the situation. “India’s Yuva-Shakti is the real power of the country ,” he said in his two-page resignation letter made public on X. He said the developments of the past 10 days had “saddened” him deeply and that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”. Noting that he did not want “anti-national forces” to exploit the situation, Pradhan said he wanted students to devote their time to studies and building their careers. Until late Friday evening, the government appeared to be in denial over his resignation. However, developments leading to his departure followed a reported meeting between home minister Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi. With the agitation gathering momentum and spreading across the country, the government reportedly decided there was no option than to seek his resignation. According to sources, Pradhan submitted his resignation to the PM on Saturday mor ning, on his own and shared it on social media in the afternoon. Peace out for CJP protesters i f r a h m u f t i @ New Delhi AFTER 36 days of continuous protest at Jantar Mantar, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday called off its protest “with immediate effect” and asked supporters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to return home. The announcement came in a joint Centre-CJP press conference in the evening, following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union education minister. His resignation was the CJP’s central demand over the NEET paper leak. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the agitation was being withdrawn in ‘good faith and understanding that the agreed upon terms will be executed within the agreed upon timelines’. With one demand already met, the group’s spokespersons said the government assured them that police cases filed against student-protesters would be withdrawn, no action would be taken against them in A CJP protester celebrates after the Centre accepted their demands | PTI future, and maximum compensation would be given to families of students who died by suicide over the NEET-UG paper leak. “We urge all protesters to go home as the government has accepted our demands,” Saurav Das said in the presence of the two Union ministers. Ashutosh Ranka added, “The government has accepted all our demands after 36 days of RAF men rapped for excessive use of force E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi The chief of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has pulled up field commanders and personnel of the force over the alleged use of excessive force against protesters during the “Sansad Chalo” march on July 20. During the virtual review meeting, amid mounting criticism of the force’s handling of the Jantar Mantar protest and allegations that excessive force was used, the RAF’s top leadership told officers and personnel that the force used during the July 20 march did not conform to the RAF’s prescribed crowd-control protocols and stressed that force must always be applied in a proportionate manner. The personnel were also directed that Projectile Attack Gun, AntiRiot Gun, electric shock weapons and electric shields will not be used or issued to the forces deployed in New Delhi until further orders. Southern Storm Sanjeevani project rollout WITH THIS ISSUE across State in August: CM K M a d h u S u d h a k a r @ Kurnool PLUS 12 P AGES e x p r ess r e a d Central team visits AP to bail out tobacco ryots Vijayawada: The Centre has stepped up efforts to address the concerns of tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh. The Union Ministry of Commerce has deputed senior officials to AP to hold discussions on measures to support tobacco growers | P4 Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that the Sanjeevani public health programme, aimed at safeguarding the health of every citizen, will be implemented across the State from August. Addressing a public meeting at Aspari in Alur Assembly constituency on Saturday , the Chief Minister highlighted the unique features of the technology-driven Sanjeevani project, which is designed to transform healthcare delivery in the State. At a time when education and healthcare account for the highest expenditure for most of the families, the gov- ernment has envisaged Sanjeevani to take the healthcare responsibility of every citizen. Under the programme, every individual will receive a Digital Health Profile, while all family members will be issued ABHA Health IDs. Healthcare information from Primary Health Centres to State-level institutions will be integrated into a single digital platform. “Sanjeevani is not limited to treating illnesses, but focuses equally on predicting diseases, preventing them through early detection and ensuring effective treatment whenever required. The integrated digital platform will bring together all health services,” the Chief Minister explained. P4 a l l i n the n a m e Juggling complexities of life, Jhandu lifts dream I n d r a n e e l d a s @ Chennai Jhandu is not a common name. It has an uncanny resemblance with one of the most iconic pain-relief retro brands – Zandu balm and its popular ad run on DD years ago. Nor has it to do with Xanadu — considered the idyllic capital of Kubla Khan. There is a very interesting anecdote behind it, which Jhandu him- self narrated from Glasgow. In fact, his story is a poignant reminder of India’s hinterland and its travails. Born in a vegetable vendor family money was always con, sidered a novelty, something extra-terrestrial. Earnings were meager and at the age of just five, Jhandu, who is 29 now, was afflicted with polio. Life went downhill as his family spent their entire fortune (however meager it was) on him. But Jhandu fondly recollected the days as a child and the hardship his family had to endure. “I was five years old when polio struck me,” he told this daily on Saturday a day after a glittering Friday when he won his first Commonwealth Games medal, a bronze. protest. We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from the protest sites. Our demands were not radical but basic, and the government has now accepted them.” Policemen used loudspeakers to ask the protesters to vacate Jantar Mantar in central Delhi in the evening. The protest that had been going on for over a month had led to dwindling crowds at nearby markets that are popular with tourists and locals, as the impact of the protest went beyond traffic diversions and Metro station closures. On since June 20, the agitation galvanised lakhs of students in protests across the country with support by major opposition parties. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke’s first reaction after the resignation was, “Jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye (The world bends; we need someone to bend it).” Dipke however missed mentioning Sonam Wangchuk’s name in his victory speech. Delhi No action will be taken against the organisers and protesters. Govt assured families of students who lost their lives of the highest possible compensation J P Nadda, Health minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a huge step towards reshaping our education system. Well done to students across the country. Proud of all of you This resignation is the evidence that if you don’t get scared, don’t bend before this government, you can get their resignation Rahul Gandhi, LoP Abhijeet Dipke, CJP