Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 28: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of irregularities in the CBSE examination system, saying the Leader of Opposition was “frustrated” due to repeated electoral defeats and opposed technological progress in the country.
The minister’s remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi alleged that the CBSE Class 12 examination results were marred by “massive irregularities” and demanded an independent judicial inquiry along with the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam.
Gandhi had also claimed that the CBSE awarded the contract for digital evaluation of answer sheets to a company with a controversial history in Telangana.
Responding to the allegations, Pradhan said the CBSE had already clarified the matter and asserted that the process was carried out in accordance with the Government of India’s procurement policy.
“Yesterday, CBSE gave its response regarding this matter. It is in accordance with the procurement policy of the Government of India. I want to assure everyone that if any irregularities are found, no one will be spared,” the minister said.
Targeting Gandhi, Pradhan said he had consistently opposed reforms and technology-driven initiatives.
“As far as Rahul Gandhi is concerned, he seems to have reached a different state of mind. Due to continuous electoral defeats, he appears frustrated. He opposed SIR, he used to oppose EVMs, and he opposed Digital India. He does not seem to stand with India’s scientific progress,” he said.
Pradhan further appealed that issues concerning students and examinations should not be turned into political controversies.
“As far as this issue is concerned, I myself take responsibility on behalf of the government for any inconvenience, and I request everyone that this is not the time for politics. Politics can be done later,” he said.
He also stressed that the mental health of students should be prioritised.
“The most important thing is that the mental stress of these students and examinees should not increase further. We appeal to everyone that no one’s words or behaviour should add to their stress,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, the CBSE defended its On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, stating that it was supported by a secure and robust IT platform. The Board said the platform had undergone empanelled security audits and was backed by multiple safeguards and quality checks to ensure secure scanning and evaluation of answer books.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said that CBSE students and parents were traumatised while Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained silent on the issue.
In a video shared on social media, Gandhi alleged that the company involved in the digital evaluation process, COEMPT, was previously known as Globarena and had allegedly been linked to similar controversies in Telangana in 2019 and 2023.
He claimed that OSM-related errors in Telangana had led to the deaths by suicide of 23 students.
“This was all public information. It was known to everybody and yet for some hidden reason the CBSE chose the same company again,” Gandhi alleged.
The controversy intensified after several Class 12 students alleged discrepancies in their marks and claimed that the scanned copies of answer sheets uploaded online did not match their handwriting, raising concerns over possible answer-sheet mismatches in the OSM system.