Congress, BJP spar over Pralhad Joshi's pick as education minister

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized Pralhad Joshi's appointment as education minister. Gandhi accused Joshi of defending rapists in a past TV interview. BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni refuted these claims, stating Joshi commented on remission processes. Baluni accused Gandhi of distorting facts for personal attacks.

‘There are so many people in PM’s Cabinet; He could have chosen any one of them. But he chooses a person who protects rapists’

Joshi had defended the early release of 11 men serving life terms for raping Bilkis Bano and killing her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 28, 2026 06:46 PM IST Speaking outside the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said that Pralhad Joshi is the 'defender of rapists.' (File photo)Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the BJP for assigning the Education Ministry to Pralhad Joshi, calling him the “defender

Joshi has been a member of the cabinet since 2019 and is seen as close to powerful PM Modi.