Student Power That Worked In 1997 Returns To Haunt Dharmendra Pradhan In 2026
This article draws a historical parallel between Dharmendra Pradhan's 1997 student protest against an Odisha education minister and his own resignation as Union Education Minister in 2026. It highlights how the former student leader, who once led protests against paper leaks, eventually faced similar accusations during his tenure.
Why it matters
Provides historical context to the current political crisis, illustrating the irony of a former student activist being ousted by a similar movement.
Bhagabat Prasad Mohanty, once a towering political leader, was the Education Minister under the Janaki Bhallabh Patnaik-led Congress government in Odisha. Once a driving force behind the now-defunct Praja Socialist Party, Mohanty later joined the Congress and was elected to the Odisha Assembly twice in the 1980s and the 1990s. It is his second stint as an MLA that has some resonance with what is happening right now.In 1997, the Odisha board examinations for 12th or "Plus 2" as it is called in the state, saw allegations of a paper leak.
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