BJP’s Margharshak Mandal (Steering Council) and former party president Murli Manohar Joshi reacted “better late than never” to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid massive youth protests over exam paper leaks and other issues.
“I appreciate and congratulate all the students for their peaceful conclusion of the movement. I hope that peace will soon prevail in the world of Indian education and the youth will have ample opportunities for their bright future and progress,” said Joshi, who also led India’s education policy as a minister in the BJP-led NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee for nearly three decades.
He also said he hoped the prime minister would make an “immediate and timely decision,” referring to the resignation agreement.
The veteran who speaks
M M Joshi, 92, and former deputy prime minister L K Advani, 98, are members of the BJP, as they were considered too old for active ministerial work when Modi became prime minister in 2014.
The BJP website lists Prime Minister Modi himself, 75, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, 75, as other members of the council, effective July 25.
Joshi headed the Ministry of Education between 1998 and 2004, and at that time faced criticism for changing the curriculum and history textbooks due to alleged “saffronisation”.
Joshi has not been shy about criticizing the Modi regime on policy issues and dealing with political controversies, including the protests now being led by the Sarsour Janta Party. In an earlier post on X, Joshi expressed deep concern over the use of force against demonstrators during the ongoing protests and warned that this would alienate large sections of the national goal of Vixit Bharat (developed India).
“It is extremely painful to see young students from across the country congregating on the streets of New Delhi for days. Their concerns and issues are real. They must be addressed with compassion and a vision for long-term solutions. I sincerely hope this is not seen as just a law and order problem that must be dealt with forcefully,” he said in a post on X.
On July 20, Delhi Police used force to stop a march of thousands of demonstrators towards Parliament. Videos that appeared on social media showed several protesters, many of whom appeared unarmed, being beaten by police wearing riot gear, with some suffering head injuries. But police confirmed that the crowd turned violent, necessitating the use of force.
But the protest increased from that moment and ended on Saturday with the minister’s resignation.
