Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, May 25: Rahul Gandhi on Monday extended support to a 17-year-old student who alleged discrepancies in the evaluation of his Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) answer sheets and claimed he was targeted online after raising the issue on social media.

The Congress leader said the Modi government fears the youth and Gen Z because they are increasingly questioning the system.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the “Modi-Shah duo” had turned another institution into a “symbol of rigging” and criticised online trolling directed at the student.

“A 17-year-old boy raises his voice for his future, and BJP turns him into a traitor,” Gandhi wrote, referring to allegations that the student was branded “anti-national”, a “Soros agent” and part of the “Deep State” by online trolls.

He said serious questions had been raised for the first time in decades regarding CBSE board examinations.

“18.5 lakh children took the exam — and for a week now, complaints of OSM, wrong marking and evaluation glitches have gone unheard, while the Education Minister clings to his chair,” he said.

Claiming that the government was uncomfortable with criticism from young people, Gandhi added: “The truth is — Modi government fears the youth and Gen Z, because they are now asking questions. And anyone who asks questions, this government defames, intimidates, crushes.”

The controversy surfaced after several CBSE students posted on X alleging discrepancies in answer sheet evaluation.

One such student, Vedant from Delhi, claimed that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE during the reevaluation process did not belong to him.

“I am shattered because the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE is not mine,” the student wrote, alleging that the handwriting and attempted answers did not match his own.

Vedant said his family and teachers noticed differences after comparing the Physics answer sheet with his English and Computer Science papers and his handwritten notes.

“The English and Computer Science copies clearly match each other. But the Physics copy looks like it belongs to another student entirely,” he claimed.

Following the post, the student reportedly faced trolling on social media, prompting his brother Sidhant Shrivastava to defend him online.

“I am appalled by seeing how people are calling us Pakistani. Vedant did not have Twitter because he was busy studying instead of tweeting,” Sidhant wrote on X.

CBSE has not yet officially responded to the allegations circulating on social media.