Why Defence Minister Rajnath, not education minister, chaired meet with states on board exams The meeting took place virtually Sunday, and also featured Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Smriti Irani, who have both handled the education portfolio in the past. Text Size: A+ New Delhi: With Centre-state relations hitting a new low in recent times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is relying on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to build consensus on the Class 12 board examinations, a ticklish issue involving millions of students and their families. That was why the PM sought out the defence minister to preside over a meeting of state education ministers, with Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and his predecessors Prakash Javadekar and Smriti Irani almost making ‘guest appearances’, ThePrint has learnt.