BHUBANESWAR: Senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday returned to his native Odisha for the first time since resigning as the Union education minister amid massive protests.He received a warm welcome from state ministers and BJP MLAs at the Bhubaneswar airport, news agency PTI reported.Five state ministers, 21 other BJP legislators, two former MLAs and senior party leaders were present at the Biju Patnaik International Airport to welcome the Sambalpur MP.‘Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad’ slogan rent the air as his supporters lined both sides of the road to welcome their leader.Pradhan resigned as the Union education minister on July 25, taking moral responsibility for the irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.His supporters are projecting him as a “hero”, saying he is the first minister in the Narendra Modi government to step down on “moral grounds”, PTI reported.“Of the 79 MLAs, 26 legislators, including five ministers, were present at the airport to welcome Pradhan. This reflects his acceptability among party lawmakers,” a political observer said.Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, however, said, “Neither has Pradhan resigned on moral grounds nor has Prime Minister Narendra Modi sacked him.”“He had to tender his resignation under pressure from students and youths of the country,” Das added.Odisha BJP leaders, including chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and BJP state president Manmohan Samal, have praised Pradhan for taking an “exemplary step by resigning on moral grounds”.(With agency inputs)
