&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Defender of rapists': Rahul Gandhi questions Joshi's appointment as Education Minister")
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (July 28) attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the new Education Minister, accusing him of being a "defender of rapists".
The Congress MP questioned the government's decision to appoint Joshi after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following weeks of student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the NEET UG 2026 paper leak.
Rahul Gandhi said the BJP could have selected anyone from the Prime Minister's Cabinet but chose Joshi for the key ministry.
"Education Minister of India - the BJP puts a man who is a defender of rapists. That is the most filthy type of man. There can be no filthier man than somebody who says that rapists need protection. That is the Education Minister of India today. It's a strange reaction from the PM that there are so many people in his cabinet; he could have chosen any one of them. But he chooses a person who protects rapists. Quite amazing," he said.
Gandhi made the remarks shortly after his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra levelled similar allegations against Joshi in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill.
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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Pralhad Joshi strongly objected to her remarks and demanded an apology. They also called for the statements to be expunged from the parliamentary record.
Rahul Gandhi's remarks appeared to refer to alleged comments by Joshi on the premature release of 11 men convicted in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The Supreme Court in January 2024 struck down the Gujarat government's decision to grant remission to the 11 convicts, who had gangraped Bilkis Bano and murdered members of her family during the 2002 Godhra riots.
Priyanka Gandhi's remarks against Joshi triggered a heated exchange in the Lok Sabha. BJP members asked her to authenticate her allegations, following which she said she had an article containing the minister's remarks.
Rijiju described Priyanka Gandhi's comments as character assassination inside Parliament and demanded that she apologise to the House.
"We do not expect such language...These statements should be expunged from the record. Secondly, such language should not be used...She should apologise to the House".
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday began discussions on the anti-paper leak bill. Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the legislation reaffirmed the government's commitment to protecting the welfare of students and young people.
Speaking on the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, the Minister of State in the PMO said the Modi government completed the long-pending task of introducing a law to prevent examination malpractices in 2024.
