At a time when ministers in several democracies often resign or are removed following public controversies and demands for accountability, Pradhan has continued to remain in office. The situation reflects a broader pattern observed during Modi’s 12 years in power, where several ministers facing major controversies have remained in government despite widespread calls for their resignation.
The controversy surrounding ministers and accountability under Modi’s administration has drawn comparisons with earlier incidents involving members of his government.
In 2015, a year after Modi assumed office, 50-year-old Muslim ironsmith Mohammad Akhlaq was dragged from his home and killed by a mob in Bishada village of Dadri district in Uttar Pradesh over allegations that he had stolen a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator. Cow slaughter is banned in most Indian states, and many Hindus consider the cow sacred.
The killing on September 16, 2015, became the first major incident in a series of cow-related mob attacks and triggered nationwide protests. Mahesh Sharma, who was then the Minister of Culture and Tourism and represented the Gautam Budh Nagar constituency, under which Dadri falls, described the killing as an “accident.” His statement led Muslim organisations and opposition parties to demand his resignation.
However, Sharma refused to step down and continued as a member of Modi’s council of ministers.
A year later, Sharma visited Bishada to meet the family of Ravi Sisodia, one of the 18 accused in the Akhlaq killing case, who died due to renal and respiratory failure. The visit created widespread controversy after images showed Sharma bowing before Sisodia’s coffin, which was covered with the national flag. Renewed demands for his removal followed, but Sharma remained in office.
He was removed from the Union Council of Ministers only after Modi secured a second term in 2019. Sharma continues to serve as a Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian for a third term.
Another major controversy involved the death of Hyderabad University doctoral student Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula in January 2016.
Vemula, a 26-year-old student from one of India’s most marginalised communities, was found dead inside a hostel room on January 17, 2016. Earlier that month, Vemula and four other students were removed from hostel accommodation and had their monthly financial support stopped after allegations that they had assaulted the head of a student organisation linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
All five students belonged to the Dalit community, historically placed at the lowest level of India’s caste hierarchy and subjected to generations of discrimination.
Unable to afford private accommodation, the students set up a tent inside the university campus and began a hunger strike against the action taken against them. They alleged that the university’s decision was influenced by letters written by then-federal ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya.
As tensions increased, Vemula died by suicide inside a friend’s room. His suicide note triggered nationwide student protests and demands for the resignation of Irani and Dattatreya.
Irani, a former television actress, faced intense criticism over allegations that she had misrepresented facts in Parliament regarding the circumstances surrounding Vemula’s death and had defended the university administration.
Despite the controversy, both ministers remained in Modi’s cabinet.
Irani was shifted to the Textiles Ministry in July 2016 and later received the important Information and Broadcasting Ministry portfolio in 2017. Dattatreya resigned as Labour Minister in September 2017 but was later appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2019 and Governor of Haryana in 2021.
In 2021, another controversy emerged after Ashish Mishra, son of junior Home Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, was accused of driving his vehicle into a group of farmers protesting against farm laws introduced by the Modi government in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh.
The incident resulted in the deaths of four farmers and one journalist, while three Bharatiya Janata Party members and one driver associated with Mishra were killed in subsequent violence.
The incident led to widespread demands for Ajay Mishra Teni’s resignation. However, he remained in his position for three years before losing the 2024 election.
The only instance of a Modi government minister resigning following public demands for accountability came after the coronavirus pandemic.
During India’s severe second wave of COVID-19 in 2021, criticism increased over the government’s handling of the health crisis. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, a medical doctor, resigned from his position. He later retired from active politics after the Bharatiya Janata Party did not nominate him as a candidate in the 2024 general election.
Modi’s critics have contrasted this record with the previous Congress-led government, where several ministers, including those holding major portfolios such as Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, resigned or were removed following demands for accountability.
The ongoing youth-led movement demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation has therefore become a significant test of political accountability in India, with protesters continuing to press for action over examination irregularities and government responsibility
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