Priyanka Gandhi Vadra calls NEP ‘ideological brainwashing’, Education Minister says ‘political opportunism’

Responding to Congress person Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks that the National Education Policy 2020 and the PM SHRI inaugural had been brought successful by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to “brainwash children according to their ain ideology”, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan connected Thursday (October 30, 2025) referred to this arsenic a “glaring show of ignorance and governmental opportunism”.

Mr. Pradhan, successful a station connected societal media connected Thursday (October 30), referred to Ms. Vadra’s remarks posted by the Congress’ X account, and said: “By making specified irresponsible and misleading statements, she not lone distorts facts but disrespects the corporate contented of India’s educators, academicians, and citizens who shaped these historical reforms.”

‘Factual inacurracies’

Speaking to the media successful Wayanad, her Lok Sabha constituency, Ms. Vadra accused the authorities of inserting “so galore factual inaccuracies”, “removing and changing” humanities data, and “ideologically, it’s wholly leaning 1 way”. Her connection further said, “That’s not steadfast for children’s education. They should person a ample perspective, and if they person antithetic ideologies, they should each beryllium educated astir them to guarantee they are alert of them.”

“We are against it, and we reason it. I had hoped that the State authorities successful Kerala would person opposed it too, but I’m amazed they haven’t,” she said.

Mr. Pradhan, successful his effect to these comments, defended the NEP 2020 arsenic the effect of “one of the astir exhaustive and inclusive consultation processes ever undertaken”, further saying that the PM SHRI inaugural was a “living embodiment” of the imaginativeness outlined successful the NEP 2020.

He added that the PM SHRI schools “blend modernity with motivation strength, exertion with tradition, and innovation with inclusion,” further saying, “If empowering children with innovation, captious thinking, and pridefulness successful Bharat’s practice is ‘ideological’, past yes, the ideology is nation-building.”

Opinion: NEP 2020 successful the classroom, from argumentation to practice

Exemplar schools: Pradhan

“The argumentation seeks to modernise the acquisition strategy with an accent connected inclusion, equity, prime learning, and planetary competitiveness, portion remaining firmly anchored successful India’s civilisational ethos,” helium said, adding that PM SHRI schools were “exemplar schools” that “represent the aboriginal of Indian education”.

Highlighting features that people this initiative, the Education Minister pointed retired astute classrooms, Atal Tinkering and Innovation Labs, integer and experiential learning, libraries, eco-friendly campuses, vocational and accomplishment hubs, and inclusive spaces for each child.

In his post, Mr. Pradhan added, “To reason specified visionary initiatives is not to critique policy; it is to basal against the precise thought of an India that nary longer needs support from aged governmental dynasties to amended its children. Perhaps the discomfort stems from the information that for decades, acquisition was reduced to governmental rhetoric and neglect. Now that reforms are really being implemented, it is convenient for immoderate to feign outrage alternatively than admit success.”