While several celebrities welcomed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation on July 25, actors Ranvir Shorey and Tara Deshpande stood out for having an opinion different from the popular one. As many public figures praised the student movement led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Sonam Wangchuk and protesters across the country, the two actors questioned the circumstances surrounding Pradhan’s exit.Reacting on X (formerly Twitter), Ranvir shared a GIF shortly after the resignation became public and criticised the government’s handling of the situation. “And in one swift move the Modi govt has managed to win over none of its enemies, and disenchant a lot of its supporters. #masterstroke,” he wrote, with clapping emojis.After one X user asked whether he believed Pradhan should not have resigned over the NEET paper leak controversy, Ranvir elaborated on his position. Referring to the protests organised by the CJP, he said the resignation should have happened earlier instead of after sustained demonstrations.“Yes, but should have done it before the streets were held hostage. Now it seems supporters will not be heard, but “cockroaches” on streets will!”Actor-model and former MTV VJ Tara Deshpande also expressed disappointment over the development. Sharing a post by Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu, she highlighted Pradhan’s contributions during his years in public office.“Sad. A minister who served many portfolios over a long career. He played a leading role in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which expanded LPG connections to millions of low-income households,” read a portion of her tweet.She went on to acknowledge his work across multiple ministries, arguing that his achievements extended far beyond the controversy surrounding the NEET examination.“He oversaw reforms such as the PAHAL direct benefit transfer for LPG subsidies and the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). He saw the Steel industry through trying times in the Pandemic. Even in education if you look at the work he did outside of NEET paper leaks it was solid. His act of resignation is to be respected.”In contrast, a large section of the film industry has publicly backed the ongoing movement, both online and on the ground. Actors including Prakash Raj, Shabana Azmi and Hanumankind were present at the Delhi protests, while Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma and several others voiced their support through social media. In Mumbai, Gurfateh Pirzada, Pratibha Ranta, Shalini Pandey and many more joined the demonstrations.Following Pradhan’s resignation, social media was flooded with posts applauding the CJP, Sonam Wangchuk and Gen Z protesters for sustaining the movement over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and the paper leak controversy. Celebrities including Kamal Haasan and Chinmayi Sripaada were among those who also shared their views on the developments.
