Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan said attempts were made to “mislead” Gen Z during the protests over the NEET paper leak issue, prompting him to quit as Union education minister. Pradhan broke his silence on his resignation while addressing students and teachers at GM University Saturday, exactly two weeks after he stepped down amid massive protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the issue. The BJD’s Sambalpur district president and former minister Rohit Pujari hit back at Pradhan, saying the BJP leader had been criticised over the handling of the student protests. Nobody needs to defame him; he has defamed himself,” the BJD leader claimed. Meanwhile, sources said Sambalpur police detained around 30 BJD workers as a precautionary measure, anticipating protests by the party’s youth and student wings.