'He chooses a person who protects rapists': Rahul attacks Modi over Education Minister appointment

"There can be no filthier man than one who defends rapists," Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday as he launched a blistering attack on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the appointment of Pralhad Joshi as the country's new education minister.

Gandhi accused Modi of choosing a minister who had defended rapists despite nationwide outrage over issues affecting students and questioned why the prime minister selected Joshi when "there are so many people" in his cabinet.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi 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 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," 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," Gandhi added.

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

Later, in a post on X, Gandhi renewed his criticism, calling Joshi's appointment "an insult to our education system" and to every student, particularly the millions of young women studying in educational institutions across India.

"There can be no filthier type of man than one who defends rapists. Pralhad Joshi is an insult to our education system and an insult to every student in it. Crores of young women study in the institutions he now oversees. India's women will never accept PM Modi's new Education Minister," Gandhi wrote.

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