Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as India's new education minister.

Rahul accused Modi of choosing a minister who had defended convicted rapists, despite nationwide outrage over issues affecting students. He questioned why the prime minister had selected Joshi when, he said, "there are so many people" in the Cabinet.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Rahul said the appointment was particularly disturbing at a time when students across India had been protesting over the NEET-UG paper leak and police had allegedly cracked down on demonstrators. 

"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," he said. 

"It is strange. It's a strange reaction from the Prime Minister. There are so many people in his Cabinet; he could have chosen any one of them. But he chooses a person who protects rapists. It's quite amazing," Rahul added. 

Gandhi's criticism relates to remarks Joshi reportedly made following the release of the convicts in 2022 over the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang rape case. 

Joshi was asked about the government’s approval for the release of 11 convicts in an interview with NDTV. 

“After being in prison for sometime, there is a provision for that and it was done as per the law”, Joshi had said. 

The remarks from Rahul came hours after Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a similar comment about Joshi during a Lok Sabha debate on the anti-paper leak bill. 

It prompted protests from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers and was later expunged from the parliamentary record by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.