The Dharam of Modi 3.0: From BJP's Odisha hero to Opposition's prime target

The Dharam of Modi 3.0: From BJP's Odisha hero to Opposition's prime target

Dharmendra Pradhan didn't get much of a breather. From the tough electoral battlefield of Odisha, he had to jump straight to firefight the NET-NEET paper-leak controversy. At this moment, Dharmendra Pradhan seems to be the most embattled minister of Modi 3.0. And as he blows the candles on his 55th birthday cake on Wednesday, one of his wishes could very well be for the education ministry difficulties to disappear.

Dharmendra Pradhan is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Ujjwala Man'. He drove the free cooking gas Ujjwala scheme, which helped the BJP strengthen its hold on the hinterland. Pradhan also has the distinction of being India's longest-serving petroleum minister.

However, it is the education ministry, which he was given the responsibility of in 2021, that is facing the biggest credibility test because of its National Testing Agency (NTA).

A petroleum minister knows enough pressure, "but education is a portfolio that gives a bigger public profile, and lot of ribbon-cutting opportunities", says a seasoned journalist who has covered the HRD ministry.

It is also the ministry that deals with the future of crores of students and aspirants.

The NTA, which conducts all the big-ticket entrance exams for admission to premier institutes, came under massive criticism after question paper leaks of UGC-NET and NEET. NTA chief Subodh Kumar Singh was sacked, and a high-level committee formed to ensure transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations.

The Opposition has made it more than clear that it will gherao the government over the paper leaks in Parliament. And education minister Dharmendra Pradhan is the key target.

That resolve was evident from the word go. Opposition MPs raised "NEET, NEET" and "shame, shame" slogans as Pradhan walked to take oath as a member of the Lok Sabha on June 25.

The Lok Sabha is witnessing a vigorous Opposition, enthused by a boost in its numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The NDA has 293 MPs, while the Opposition has 233.

This, obviously, wasn't the kind of reception that Pradhan was expecting on his return to the Lok Sabha after a gap of two decades. He won the Sambalpur seat with a margin of over a lakh votes in the 2024 general election, defeating one of the BJD's heavyweight candidates.

Since his defeat in the 2009 polls, Pradhan made it to Parliament for two terms through the Rajya Sabha.

DHARMENDRA PRADHAN AND BJP'S ODISHA VICTORY

In 2024, Dharmendra Pradhan not only returned to the Lok Sabha, but was among the key players to have scripted the BJP's mega success story in Odisha.

The BJP won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha and dislodged the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, which was in power for 24 years.

Pradhan, along with Odisha BJP leaders, Manmohan Samal and Sambit Patra chalked out the BJP campaign strategy, says a Bhubaneswar-based journalist. He adds that Pradhan also worked closely with BJP leaders from outside Odisha, like Bhupendra Yadav and Biplab Kumar Deb, who extensively worked for the BJP on the ground in the state.

Pradhan is popular in both Western Odisha, where his seat Sambalpur is located, and also the coastal part of the state. It is also said that he enjoys the support of up to 40 MLAs of the state and that Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi is close to him.

Known for his organisational skills, Pradhan played a key role in the growth of the BJP in Odisha over the years.

PRADHAN'S JOURNEY FROM ABVP TO UNION MINISTRY

Unlike several politicians who crossed over to the rising BJP, Pradhan started off as an ABVP member in 1983, and then the national secretary of the RSS-affiliated students organisation.

His electoral debut came in 2000, from Pallalhara, his home constituency. That was the only time he became an MLA.

In 2004, Pradhan contested the Lok Sabha election from Deogarh, a constituency represented by his father Debendra Pradhan.

Debendra Pradhan, who was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee ministry, is an acclaimed politician and is held in high regard in Odisha.

It is said that Debendra vacated the seat on his son's insistence and retired from active politics that year.

Dharmendra Pradhan lost the 2009 election but was made a BJP general secretary in 2010 as he proved his organisational abilities. In 2012, he got a Rajya Sabha membership from Bihar. His second Rajya Sabha stint would be from Madhya Pradesh.

DHARMENDRA PRADHAN AND THE UNION EDUCATION MINISTRY

Pradhan, who was a minister of state of petroleum and natural gas, was promoted as a Cabinet minister in 2017, and was also given the charge of the skill development ministry.

The promotion, political observers believe, was a reward for the successful implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, a scheme to provide women below poverty line with free cooking gas cylinders.

It was in 2021 that Dharmendra Pradhan was given the charge of the education ministry.

"The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship are among the most important ministries for the youth of India. It was thus imperative that these be handled by the same minister so that the same can work in unison for achieving common objectives," sources said on Pradhan getting the education portfolio.

The change came after Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' resigned as the minister following complications from a Covid infection.

Ill health could be one of the reasons though. During Pokhriyal's tenure, appointments to crucial posts had virtually come to a halt, according to an Indian Express report.

Pradhan carried forward the work on the New Education Policy (NEP), implemented during Pokhriyal's term. The NEP was introduced in June 2020, and replaced the old plan that was adopted way back in 1986.

In 2022, former JNU Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar was appointed the UGC chairperson. Pradhan and Kumar have been quite a team.

It was also under their watch that the controversy over rewriting of NCERT textbooks blew up. Jagadesh Kumar said the changes to the textbooks were part of syllabus rationalisation to reduce load on students and came on recommendations of experts.

The row over textbooks have cropped up at regular intervals.

However, it is nothing in comparison to the flare-up over the paper-leak controversies.

The UGC-NET was cancelled days after the exam was held over a leak of question paper on the dark net. Two other exams -- CSIR-UGC-NET and NEET-PG -- were postponed amid the controversy over the medical entrance exam, NEET, taken by lakhs of students.

The Centre has notified a stringent law to curb organised gangs behind paper leaks but he is facing protests both within and outside Parliament.

Pradhan had to cancel his Yoga Day event at Delhi University after students protested, displaying black flags and raising slogans.

He is likely to make a statement in Parliament during the current monsoon session on the NTA controversy, The Hindu reported, quoting government sources.

Pradhan called the irregularities in the competitive exams an institutional failure. "I have taken responsibility. NTA's top leadership is under several types of questions. But I have to safeguard students' interests first. I am a custodian of their interests," he said.

Of all the Modi 3.0 ministers it is Pradhan who is the crosshairs of the Opposition. Not getting enough time to savour the Odisha victory, it now rests on him to fend off the challenge from the Opposition, which is demanding his scalp.