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 ■ ■ kochi 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 Law was repealed August 2024: Centre withdrew a UPSC advertisement for lateral recruitment to senior civil services after objections from opposition parties and NDA ally Lok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 accepts all demands; outgoing education minister says he did not want anti-national forces to exploit the situation rajesh kumar thakur @ New Delhi 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 morning, on his own and shared it on social media in the afternoon. 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 Pradhan’s resignation is a huge step towards reshaping our edu system. Well done to students. Proud of all of you Rahul Gandhi, LoP This resignation is the evidence that if you don’t get scared, don’t bend before this government, you can get their resignation Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with supporters, celebrates at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi | PTI Joshi gets addi charge of edu ministry Strong penalty for crime syndicates 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 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 I50 lakh fine. For organised crime, the bill carries 7 years and a fine of up to I10 crore RAF chief raps personnel over use of excessive force on July 20 E x p r e s s 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 held on Wednesday, 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-con- trol protocols and stressed that force must always be applied in a graded and proportionate manner. The personnel were also directed that the Projectile Attack Gun (PAG), AntiRiot Gun (ARG), electric shock weapons and electric shields will not be used or issued to the forces deployed in the national capital until further orders. According to sources, during the internal review, all personnel were instructed to strictly follow the “Use of Force” guidelines after assessing the nature of the crowd and the prevailing situation. Sources said RAF leadership referred to videos on social media showing force’s personnel “deliberately knocking down” protesters and assaulting those who were no longer part of the stir. a l l i n the n a m e Juggling complexities of life, Jhandu Kumar lifts dream In 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 Kumar himself 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 considered 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. There was a tinge of tragic-comic narrative to his recent stardom. “My father spent all the money on me and because of which we went bankrupt. Isiliye unlogo mera naam Jhandu rakha, log bolne laga jhandu ho gaya (that’s why they call be Jhandu),” he said with a chuckle. The medal he hoped would change his fortunes. For someone who started para sport four years ago this is indeed creditable. Juggling complexities of life has been his forte but after the bronze on Friday he is expecting better days.  P11 , WITH THIS ISSUE Southern Storm PLUS 12 P AGES EXPRESS READ Pillion rider can’t be held liable for motorist’s negligence: HC Kandararu Brahmadathan to be new Sabarimala tantri Kochi: The Kerala High Court has held that a pillion rider cannot be held responsible for the negligence of the rider of the vehicle on which they were travelling. It observed that contributory negligence can be attributed only when both parties are shown to have been at fault. P5 T’Puram: Kandararu Brahmadathan, son of Kandararu Rajeevaru, will be the new Sabarimala tantri. He will assume charge on the first day of Malayalam month of Chingam and will continue in the position for a year. The decision was taken at a TDB meet chaired by president K Jayakumar. P4 Abhijeet Dipke, CJP A victory of democracy, direct democracy from the streets... congratulations CJP, Gen Z and thank you all citizens for shedding fear Sonam Wangchuk 36 days on, 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 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 A CJP protester celebrates after the Centre accepted their demands | PTI home as the government has accepted our demands,” Saurav Das said in the presence of the two Union ministers. “The government has accepted all our demands after 36 days of protest. Our demands were not radical but basic, and the government has now accepted them,” said CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka. Ashutosh Ranka 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.