'Always fight. Always stand': Vir Das, Rohan Joshi, Priyanka Chopra and more react to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Saturday that he has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was "saddened" by the series of events that unfolded over the past 10 days.

The resignation comes amid mounting public and political pressure following protests over alleged irregularities in major competitive examinations, including NEET-UG, the country's medical entrance exam. Members of the newly formed satirical political outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had also been staging a sit-in protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar since June, demanding accountability and Pradhan's resignation.

Soon after the announcement, social media was flooded with reactions from politicians, students, activists and public figures. Several celebrities from the entertainment industry also responded, with many expressing solidarity with students or reacting to the development through social media posts.

Comedian and actor Vir Das also shared an emotional message on Instagram, congratulating students for their perseverance. He wrote, “You restored a single word of a tiny little sentence of that book we all read in school and forgot. You beautiful kids. Whatever the hell happens from here, you won. Now hurry up and celebrate.”

From the Bollywood, among the first to react was Priyanka Chopra, who commented on journalist Faye D'Souza's Instagram post about the resignation. The actor responded with clapping, red heart and raised-hands emojis, a reaction widely interpreted by users as support for the sentiments expressed in the post.

The same post was also liked by several Bollywood celebrities, including Alia Bhatt, Triptii Dimri, Sonam Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, adding to the growing online conversation surrounding Pradhan's resignation.

Actor Vaani Kapoor shared a message that appeared to acknowledge the persistence of students who had been raising concerns over the examination controversy. She wrote, “For every student who kept pushing, kept questioning, and kept hoping.. this moment is for you.”

Actor Vijay Varma also weighed in on the development with a light-hearted social media post. Sharing a picture of Dharmendra Pradhan, he wrote, "Accha chalta hoon.. duaaon mein yaad rakhna." The caption, borrowed from a popular Bollywood song, was widely shared across social media platforms.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha shared a reel celebrating the victory. Along with the video, the caption read, "Sorry what i meant to say was that i’m proud of you and THANK YOU. Brb now… millenial sathiya gayi hai.

25.07.2026. What a day!!!"

Comedian and streamer Samay Raina was among the earliest prominent personalities to publicly react after the resignation announcement. Posting on Instagram, he wrote, “More power to the students.”

Comedia Rohan Joshi also reacted to the news. The caption of the post read: “Youthz, I bow to thee.”

See his post here:

Earlier in the day, Dharmendra Pradhan announced that he had tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his statement, the minister said he was "saddened" by the developments of the past 10 days, which culminated in his decision to step down.

His resignation follows sustained protests by members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), who had been holding demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar since June. The group had demanded action over alleged examination irregularities and called for ministerial accountability.

The political development has since dominated social media, with reactions continuing to pour in from across the country, including from students, public figures and members of the film industry.