Modi Confidant, RSS Veteran Pralhad Joshi Now Leads India’s Education Ministry

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI – Long regarded as one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest political associates and a lifelong Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been entrusted with the additional charge of the Education Ministry after Dharmendra Pradhan was forced to resign following nationwide protests over examination paper leaks.

A senior member of the Modi government since 2019, Joshi’s appointment comes as the Education Ministry seeks to restore public confidence after weeks of student-led demonstrations over irregularities in competitive examinations. The protests grew into one of the biggest political challenges for the Modi government in recent months, with students demanding accountability and Pradhan’s resignation.

The agitation ended on July 25 after the government accepted the key demands of the student group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including Pradhan’s resignation. Pradhan’s resignation, announced on July 25, marked a significant concession by the government as the protests spread across several parts of the country.

Joshi assumed the additional responsibility immediately and held his first meeting as Education Minister on July 26 to review the situation and discuss measures aimed at addressing the crisis and implementing new initiatives.

The 63-year-old leader is one of the Modi government’s longest-serving ministers. Born in 1962 in Bijapur, Joshi has a bachelor’s degree in arts from KS Arts College in Hubballi. He became associated with the RSS at a young age before entering active politics.

His political career gained prominence during the early 1990s Hubballi Idgah Maidan dispute, a major political and religious controversy in Karnataka over land use. In 2004, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Karnataka’s Dharwad constituency and has since won five consecutive parliamentary elections. (with IANS inputs)