I am a street fighter: Dharmendra Pradhan hits back at Congress MP in Parliament
The brief exchange with Jairam Ramesh was seen by BJP leaders as a signal that Dharmendra Pradhan remains politically confident despite stepping down from the Cabinet and is ready to take on his next assignment.
BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan used his first appearance in Parliament after resigning as Union Education Minister to send a political message, declaring himself a "street fighter" during a brief but sharp exchange with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
NDA MPs gathered at Parliament's Makar Dwar entrance ahead of Pradhan's arrival on Monday and waited to receive him. As he entered the complex, party colleagues greeted him, escorted him inside and presented him with a ceremonial cap in a show of solidarity.
Pradhan appeared smiling as his colleagues welcomed him. One BJP MP remarked that it was perhaps the first time a Union minister had resigned without facing any personal allegation.
It was amid this reception that Jairam Ramesh approached Pradhan and expressed sympathy over his resignation.
"It happens," the Congress leader told him. "Nothing happened," Pradhan immediately replied, before adding: "I am a street fighter. Not an AC room activist."
The brief exchange was seen by BJP leaders as a signal that Pradhan remains politically confident despite stepping down from the Cabinet and is ready to take on his next assignment.
It has also fuelled speculation over the role that awaits him within the BJP.
Apart from being one of the party's tallest leaders in Odisha, Pradhan has repeatedly been entrusted with key organisational and electoral responsibilities.
Most recently, he served as the BJP's in-charge for the Bihar Assembly elections before playing an important role in its West Bengal campaign, where the party formed its first government in the state in May 2026.
Following the BJP's setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Pradhan was appointed in charge of the Haryana Assembly polls, where the party retained power. He had earlier handled key responsibilities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, contributing to the BJP's victories in those states.
There is now speculation within BJP circles that Pradhan could be given a key organisational position or entrusted with leading the party's campaign in one of the five states headed for Assembly elections. He had earlier served as the BJP's election in-charge for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The BJP leadership has also rallied behind Pradhan since his resignation, which came after weeks of nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party over the alleged NEET 2026 paper leak and other irregularities in India's examination system.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Pradhan's residence, while BJP president Nitin Nabin and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh publicly praised his contribution to the education sector.
Party leaders have maintained that his resignation does not signal a decline in his political standing but instead represents "political accountability", "sacrifice" and action in the "national interest".
However, the show of support for Pradhan unfolded alongside an Opposition protest led by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the alleged use of excessive force against students during the nationwide agitation.
The contrasting scenes set the stage for another government-Opposition confrontation as the Lok Sabha prepared to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening India's anti-paper leak law.
BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan used his first appearance in Parliament after resigning as Union Education Minister to send a political message, declaring himself a "street fighter" during a brief but sharp exchange with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
NDA MPs gathered at Parliament's Makar Dwar entrance ahead of Pradhan's arrival on Monday and waited to receive him. As he entered the complex, party colleagues greeted him, escorted him inside and presented him with a ceremonial cap in a show of solidarity.
Pradhan appeared smiling as his colleagues welcomed him. One BJP MP remarked that it was perhaps the first time a Union minister had resigned without facing any personal allegation.
It was amid this reception that Jairam Ramesh approached Pradhan and expressed sympathy over his resignation.
"It happens," the Congress leader told him. "Nothing happened," Pradhan immediately replied, before adding: "I am a street fighter. Not an AC room activist."
The brief exchange was seen by BJP leaders as a signal that Pradhan remains politically confident despite stepping down from the Cabinet and is ready to take on his next assignment.
It has also fuelled speculation over the role that awaits him within the BJP.
Apart from being one of the party's tallest leaders in Odisha, Pradhan has repeatedly been entrusted with key organisational and electoral responsibilities.
Most recently, he served as the BJP's in-charge for the Bihar Assembly elections before playing an important role in its West Bengal campaign, where the party formed its first government in the state in May 2026.
Following the BJP's setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Pradhan was appointed in charge of the Haryana Assembly polls, where the party retained power. He had earlier handled key responsibilities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, contributing to the BJP's victories in those states.
There is now speculation within BJP circles that Pradhan could be given a key organisational position or entrusted with leading the party's campaign in one of the five states headed for Assembly elections. He had earlier served as the BJP's election in-charge for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The BJP leadership has also rallied behind Pradhan since his resignation, which came after weeks of nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party over the alleged NEET 2026 paper leak and other irregularities in India's examination system.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Pradhan's residence, while BJP president Nitin Nabin and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh publicly praised his contribution to the education sector.
Party leaders have maintained that his resignation does not signal a decline in his political standing but instead represents "political accountability", "sacrifice" and action in the "national interest".
However, the show of support for Pradhan unfolded alongside an Opposition protest led by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the alleged use of excessive force against students during the nationwide agitation.
The contrasting scenes set the stage for another government-Opposition confrontation as the Lok Sabha prepared to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening India's anti-paper leak law.
BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan used his first appearance in Parliament after resigning as Union Education Minister to send a political message, declaring himself a "street fighter" during a brief but sharp exchange with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
NDA MPs gathered at Parliament's Makar Dwar entrance ahead of Pradhan's arrival on Monday and waited to receive him. As he entered the complex, party colleagues greeted him, escorted him inside and presented him with a ceremonial cap in a show of solidarity.
Pradhan appeared smiling as his colleagues welcomed him. One BJP MP remarked that it was perhaps the first time a Union minister had resigned without facing any personal allegation.
It was amid this reception that Jairam Ramesh approached Pradhan and expressed sympathy over his resignation.
"It happens," the Congress leader told him. "Nothing happened," Pradhan immediately replied, before adding: "I am a street fighter. Not an AC room activist."
The brief exchange was seen by BJP leaders as a signal that Pradhan remains politically confident despite stepping down from the Cabinet and is ready to take on his next assignment.
It has also fuelled speculation over the role that awaits him within the BJP.
Apart from being one of the party's tallest leaders in Odisha, Pradhan has repeatedly been entrusted with key organisational and electoral responsibilities.
Most recently, he served as the BJP's in-charge for the Bihar Assembly elections before playing an important role in its West Bengal campaign, where the party formed its first government in the state in May 2026.
Following the BJP's setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Pradhan was appointed in charge of the Haryana Assembly polls, where the party retained power. He had earlier handled key responsibilities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, contributing to the BJP's victories in those states.
There is now speculation within BJP circles that Pradhan could be given a key organisational position or entrusted with leading the party's campaign in one of the five states headed for Assembly elections. He had earlier served as the BJP's election in-charge for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The BJP leadership has also rallied behind Pradhan since his resignation, which came after weeks of nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party over the alleged NEET 2026 paper leak and other irregularities in India's examination system.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Pradhan's residence, while BJP president Nitin Nabin and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh publicly praised his contribution to the education sector.
Party leaders have maintained that his resignation does not signal a decline in his political standing but instead represents "political accountability", "sacrifice" and action in the "national interest".
However, the show of support for Pradhan unfolded alongside an Opposition protest led by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the alleged use of excessive force against students during the nationwide agitation.
The contrasting scenes set the stage for another government-Opposition confrontation as the Lok Sabha prepared to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening India's anti-paper leak law.
