The appointment of Pralhad Joshi as India’s new Union Education Minister has triggered a bitter political confrontation, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launching sharp attacks on the government.
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The Core Controversy: Following the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the wake of widespread student protests over exam paper leaks, the government handed additional charge of the ministry to Pralhad Joshi.
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The Opposition’s Attack: Both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi strongly condemned the choice, pointing back to 2022 when Joshi—then serving as Parliamentary Affairs Minister—publicly defended the Gujarat government’s decision to grant premature release to the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. Rahul Gandhi labeled the appointment “strange”, questioning why Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a leader with a history of defending the release.
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The Government’s Response: Inside the Lok Sabha, Joshi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly rejected the allegations. Joshi demanded that Priyanka Gandhi authenticate her claims or face action, with BJP leaders calling for an apology and describing the statements as misleading character assassination.
