BJP: Congress remarks on Education Minister Pralhad Joshi misleading, condemnable

Source: The Hindu Bureau, NEW DELHI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) termed as “condemnable,” “misleading,” and “unacceptable” the remarks made by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Parliament regarding newly appointed Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, as well as subsequent comments by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Ms. Vadra’s remarks in the House were later expunged by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

BJP’s Official Response

Lok Sabha MP Anil Baluni, the BJP’s media cell convenor, issued a strong statement on behalf of the party:

“The misleading remarks made today in the Lok Sabha by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra regarding Union Education Minister Prahlad Joshi, and the subsequent baseless comments by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in support of Priyanka Vadra’s statement, are extremely unfortunate and condemnable. In a healthy democracy, such misleading and unwarranted remarks against a Union Minister on the floor of the House cannot be accepted.”

Clarification on Joshi’s Comments

Mr. Baluni asserted that the references made by Ms. Vadra and Mr. Gandhi to a comment by Mr. Joshi were “completely incorrect.” He clarified:

• Mr. Joshi did not make any remarks pertaining to the case of gangrape survivor Bilkis Bano.
• “The Union Education Minister, Prahlad Joshi, did not make any such statement. He had merely commented on the legal process and not on the matter itself,” Mr. Baluni added.

Criticism of Congress’s Conduct

Mr. Baluni further criticized the Congress party’s approach:

“Before making such statements, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra should have read and understood the facts properly. However, distorting statements for political convenience, misleading the country, and levelling baseless allegations has become a habit of the Congress party.”

Background

A war of words erupted between the BJP and the Congress during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examination (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which includes stringent provisions to punish those found leaking exam papers.

• Ms. Vadra’s remarks were expunged by the Speaker.
• Outside Parliament, Mr. Gandhi referred to Mr. Joshi as “filthy” over the latter’s reported comments on the release of Ms. Bano’s rapists by the Gujarat government on August 15, 2022 — a decision later quashed by the Supreme Court in 2024.

Upcoming Proceedings

The debate on the Bill is scheduled to resume on Wednesday (July 29, 2026), with both Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Joshi piloting the Bill. Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh is also set to speak before the Bill’s passage.