Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Madan Dilawar Faces Firestorm Over Rajasthan Education Controversies
Madan Dilawar is Rajasthan’s education minister.
A political group called the Cockroach Janta Party criticized him after students in Kota reportedly became sick after eating a school meal.
The group also inspected schools, after which the government limited visits and photography in government schools.
Dilawar has made several statements that opponents considered divisive or controversial.
He has also introduced or supported school-related decisions involving religious events and bicycle colors.
In 2025, a government school in Jhalawar collapsed, killing seven students and badly injuring eight.
A later inspection found that thousands of government schools and classrooms needed major repairs or were unsafe.
Dilawar has defended some of his comments by alleging political wrongdoing or explaining the policies behind them.
Critics say the controversies show problems with his conduct and management of the Education Department.
CJP criticized Education Minister Madan Dilawar after about 30 Kota students reportedly fell ill following a mid-day meal.
The Rajasthan government restricted outsiders’ entry and photography in government schools, citing student privacy after CJP inspections.
Dilawar has faced criticism over remarks and policies involving religion, politics, teachers, student suicides, Akbar and the NEET paper leak.
The July 2025 collapse of a Jhalawar government school killed seven students and seriously injured eight others.
A statewide audit found 5,667 of Rajasthan’s 63,018 government schools completely dilapidated, along with thousands of unsafe or repair-needing classrooms and toilets.
- Who
- Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar, the Cockroach Janta Party, and opposition critics including the Congress party.
- What
- The CJP has intensified criticism of Dilawar over school safety concerns, student illness, government-school access restrictions, and his past remarks and policies.
- When
- The criticism described spans Dilawar’s tenure from December 2023 through 2026, including the Jhalawar collapse in July 2025 and NEET-related remarks in May 2026.
- Where
- Rajasthan, particularly Kota and Jhalawar; the article also refers to a CJP march in New Delhi.
- Why
- The CJP and Congress have raised concerns about school conditions, alleged controversies in the Education Department, and remarks they view as divisive; the government cited student privacy for restricting school access and photography.
Critics and Opposition
Government and Ministerial Position
School oversight and access
Critics and Opposition
The CJP argues that inspections are needed to expose problems in Rajasthan’s schools and has criticized the Education Department after reports of student illness and poor infrastructure.
Government and Ministerial Position
The Rajasthan government restricted outsiders’ entry and photography in government schools, saying the measures were intended to protect student privacy.
Minister’s public remarks
Critics and Opposition
The Congress and other critics have condemned Dilawar’s comments about groups, political opponents, teachers, student suicides, Akbar and the NEET paper leak as divisive or irresponsible.
Government and Ministerial Position
Dilawar has presented some remarks as criticism of political opponents, historical narratives or alleged wrongdoing, and has offered explanations for statements concerning cow shelters and school policies.
Education policy and symbolism
Critics and Opposition
Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra criticized what he called the politicisation of education, including school observances linked to Savarkar, Article 370 and Surya Namaskar, as well as changes such as saffron bicycles.
Government and Ministerial Position
The Education Department announced these observances and bicycle-color changes as official school-related decisions, citing previous practice in the case of the bicycles.
- Minister
- Madan Dilawar became Rajasthan’s Education Minister in December 2023.
- Kota incident
- About 30 students at a Kota government school reportedly fell ill after eating a mid-day meal.
- Jhalawar collapse
- A government school collapsed in July 2025, killing seven students and seriously injuring eight.
- School audit
- The audit covered 63,018 government schools and identified 5,667 as completely dilapidated.
- Classrooms
- Of 2,91,713 classrooms assessed, 86,934 were reported completely dilapidated; 1,58,467 tiled-roof and 51,026 RCC-roof rooms required major repairs.
- Toilets
- The audit found 36,154 toilets in good condition, 17,109 completely dilapidated and 29,093 repairable.
- NEET controversy
- In May 2026, Dilawar said cancellation of the NEET examination over irregularities was not a major issue; the article says two paper-leak accused had appeared in photographs with him.