Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Union government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the appointment of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi as the new Education Minister, replacing Dharmendra Pradhan.

Referring to the ongoing protests over the education system, Rahul said that the government had appointed “a defender of rapists” to head the ministry.

“All these young people are protesting about the education system… so many girls have been beaten and thrashed, and the BJP puts a man at the helm of the ministry who is a defender of rapists. That’s the filthiest type of man. There can be no filthier man than somebody who says rapists need protection… that is the Education Minister of India,” Rahul said.

Calling the decision “strange,” he added, “There are so many people in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet. He could have chosen anyone, but he chose someone who protects rapists.”

Rahul’s remarks appear to refer to comments made by Pralhad Joshi in October 2022 regarding the premature release of the 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gang-rape case.

At the time, Joshi had said the remission was granted in accordance with the law after the convicts had completed the required period in prison. Campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat, he also stated that the release was based on the convicts’ “good behaviour.”