Prime Minister Narendra Modi has entrusted senior BJP leader Prahlad Joshi with the additional charge of the Ministry of Education after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following weeks of student-led protests over examination paper leaks. According to reports, President Droupadi Murmu directed Joshi to assume charge of the ministry shortly after accepting Pradhan’s resignation.
Pradhan stepped down just hours before the third round of talks between the Union government and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose month-long protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar had centred on demands for accountability over the paper leak controversy. His resignation was the principal demand of the protesters and marked a major breakthrough in the negotiations.
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Joshi, a six-time Member of Parliament from Karnataka’s Dharwad constituency, currently serves as the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, as well as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. He is now expected to oversee the Education Ministry until further arrangements are announced by the government.
A seasoned BJP leader, Joshi has represented Dharwad in the Lok Sabha continuously since 2004. He joined Prime Minister Modi’s Cabinet in 2019 and served as Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines during the government’s second term, holding those portfolios until 2024.
Joshi’s political journey began with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), where he was actively involved in organisational work during his early years. He first gained national attention in 1999 for leading a campaign to hoist the Indian national flag at Idgah Maidan in Hubballi, Karnataka, a movement that became a significant political issue in the state.
His appointment to the Education Ministry comes at a crucial time as the government seeks to restore confidence in India’s examination system and address concerns raised by students following the nationwide paper leak controversy.
