Tendulkar on NEET protests: ‘Must create a culture where hard work is rewarded’
2 min readUpdated: Jul 23, 2026 09:21 PM Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday became the latest sportsperson to talk about the nationwide protests over NEET paper leaks. The protesters, led the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), are demanding the resignation of Union Education Miner Dharmendra Pradhan besides also demanding accountability for the NEET paper leaks earlier. The protests in the national capital had taken a violent turn a few days ago when CJP tried to march to Parliament on July 20.
“My father was a professor. He was a mentor and guide to many young students. One lesson that he instilled early on was, “Failure is okay, cheating is not. Never take shortcuts.” As adults in society, we have the responsibility of shaping culture. A society which prioritises outcomes over effort will seek shortcuts over meritocracy. Today, when students feel disappointed that their hard work hasn’t been rewarded, it is understandable. Collectively, we should all work together towards ensuring they don’t feel this way again. Young India is full of dreams and energy. They are the fuel to our success,” he said on X.
“As a society, all of us, including parents, teachers, friends, relatives, schools, and adminrators, have a massive responsibility and different roles to play in ensuring our youth remain encouraged and energised. We must create a culture where hard work is rewarded, honesty is encouraged, and merit wins. I am certain we will all find solutions that strengthen our children’s future and safeguard their aspirations,” he added.
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— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 23, 2026
Top sportspersons Abhinav Bindra, Yuvraj Singh, Nikhat Zareen, had also spoken up on the issue, stressing on the need for “dialogue” and to “work together”.
Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medall, did not directly mention the protests, but made his stance clear. Double Olympic medall Manu Bhaker had also spoken up through a social media post for the youngsters hitting the streets.
Boxer Zareen had asked the government to len to the protestors while World Cup winning cricketer cricketer Yuvraj also urged for dialogue.
