NEW DELHI 26 JULY 2026 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in PLUS: 12 PAGES MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE VOICES The Mystic-Prince and His Fatal Flaw Anand Neelakantan Prabhu Chawla Ravi Shankar Santwana Bhattacharya Preeti Shenoy Shankkar Aiyar Dr Alka Pande The Delicate Art of Walking a Fine Line The Core of the Matter SOUTHERN STORM Ladies Who Know Their Business Pot Luck in the Mountains ‘My Life Has Some Kind of Parallel with Peter Parker’ SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS The Path to Inner Awakening Mantri Pradhan out in Gen Z debut Humongous victory for satire party as govt accepts all demands; outgoing education minister says he does not want anti-national forces to exploit the situation RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi Pralhad Joshi gets addl charge of edu ministry 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 Stringent penalty for crime syndicates 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 `50 lakh fine. For organised crime, the bill carries 7 years and a fine of up to `10 crore 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 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 shortly after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and an end to the CJP stir | PTI 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 A CJP protester celebrates after the Centre accepts students’ demands | PTI 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 home as the government has accepted our demands,” Saurav Das said in the presence of the two Union ministers. Ashutosh Ranka added, “The government has accepted all our demands after 36 days of protest. We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from the protest sites. Our demands were not radical but basic, and the government has now accepted them.” Policemen used loudspeakers to ask the protesters to vacate Jantar Mantar in central Delhi in the evening. The protest that had been going on for over a month had led to dwindling crowds at nearby markets that are popular with tourists and locals, as the impact of the protest went beyond traffic diversions and Metro station closures. On since June 20, the agitation galvanised lakhs of students in protests across the country with support by major opposition parties. 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. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a huge step towards reshaping our education system. Well done to students across the country. Proud of all of you Rahul Gandhi, LoP @ 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 PAST INSTANCES WHEN MODI GOVT YIELDED TO PUBLIC PRESSURE 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 crowdcontrol protocols and stressed 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 MCD to revamp ‘zero waste’ push after compliance failure A D I T I R AY C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi THE Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to overhaul its community waste management programme. This comes after a third-party assessment found that 150 among the 680 colonies that were earlier declared as “zero waste colonies” had become non-compliant due to inadequate monitoring. The MCD has proposed replacing the existing Sahbhagita Scheme with a revised Zero Waste Colony Initiative. The proposal said that the existing Sahbhagita Scheme, launched in 2022, was introduced to encourage community participation in solid waste management. To qualify for it, colonies had to ensure 100% waste segregation. Only 680 colonies were brought under the scheme. Now, the civic body hopes that the revamped scheme will give better results. that force must always be applied in a graded and proportionate manner. The personnel were also directed that the Projectile Attack Gun (PAG), Anti-Riot 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 the RAF leadership referred to videos on social media showing the force’s personnel “deliberately knock- 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 ing down” protesters and assaulting those who were no longer part of the agitation. Operational planning for the July 20 deployment was also reviewed as sources said the RAF sector headquarters did not receive detailed information on the operational strength and deployment of individual companies for that day . 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 Cheers, tears and toffees become a mark of farewell I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi This resignation is the evidence that if you don’t get scared, don’t bend before this government, you can get their resignation Abhijeet Dipke, CJP This resignation has come about because of a revolution. BJP has been forced to yield due to the youth’s movement. A major victory for youth Akhilesh Yadav, SP RAF chief raps personnel over use of excessive force on July 20 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Supporters celebrate after Pradhan’s resignation | PTI A victory of democracy, direct democracy from the streets ... congratulations CJP, Gen Z of the nation and thank you all citizens for shedding fear Sonam Wangchuk 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 AT 2:18 pm on Saturday, the protest at Jantar Mantar was swelling with increasing aggression in the sloganeering. A minor clash had already taken place a while ago when Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on X. In no time, the news spread like wildfire, and for thousands, irrespective of age, caste or gender, the venue turned into a celebration ground. The mood transformed dramatically. Protesters erupted in cheers, hugging each other as chants of victory reverberated in the air. Young demonstrators danced on stage, while patriotic songs, including “Chak De! India”, blared through portable Bluetooth speakers. Opening their water bottles, they sprayed water over each other, describing their win as a “historic victory” for peaceful public mobilisation. In one corner, young women moved through the crowd distributing toffees, offering sweets to mark the occasion. Many students, however, politely refused, saying the movement was not yet over. With tears welling up, some of them could be heard screaming their lungs out, “This victory is no less than winning a World Cup.” As the protest drew to a close, the venue resembled a farewell gathering. Supporters painted and spray-painted messages such as “Signing Off ”, “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Awaaz Uthate Raho” across roads, barricades and NDMC signboards. Many scribbled their names, left handwritten notes and queued up to click photographs beside the graffiti-covered boards. The blue NDMC signboards resembled the white farewell shirts of a school or college graduation, covered with signatures and messages from friends, a spontaneous archive of a movement as a GenZ goodbye to the place. P3 & P7 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 Juggling complexities of life, Jhandu lifts hope for better days I N 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 — the legendary capital of Kubla Khan. There is a very interesting anecdote behind it, which Jhandu Kumar himself narrated on Saturday from Glasgow. In fact, his story is a poignant reminder of India’s hinter- India win 2nd medal after Lovlina assured first Though there were seven para-powerlifters at CWG Glasgow out which Jhandu Kumar returned with a medal by accummulating 130.9 points. Ashok finished fourth and missed out on a medal. Lovlina Borgohain was the first to assure India medal when she got a bye till semis land 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 from Glasgow 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 laugh. The medal he hoped would change his fortunes. For someone who started para sport four years ago this is indeed creditable. Sabnahua Dih near Harnaut in Nalanda district is just a speck on the map. A nondescript village will slowly get into some kind of prominence on the sporting map through Jhandu. Juggling complexities of life has been his forte but after the bronze, he is expecting better days ahead. P11