Bhubaneswar, Feb 25 (IANS): The Odisha unit of the Congress on Monday demanded the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra for the repeated incidents of question paper leaks during the annual High School Certificate (HSC) examination in the state.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Niranjan Patnaik said that repeated question paper leaks have exposed the incapability and inefficiency of the School and Mass Education department as well as the Board of Secondary Education authority.

"They have seriously failed in conducting the annual HSC examination smoothly and this has made the future of lakhs of meritorious students uncertain. Therefore, the School and Mass Education Minister should take moral responsibility and resign," demanded Patnaik.

He said while the state government was promoting privatisation of education in Odisha, the students from general and economically backward classes were deprived of affordable quality education.

"The government has made a mess out of the HSC examination. On day one, the Odia language question paper was leaked and went viral on social media. On Monday, the same thing happened with the English question paper," Patnaik said.

"This has put enormous mental pressure on the students which might adversely affect their careers in the future. Therefore, strong action must be taken against the persons concerned," said the PCC President.

The Mass Education Minister, on the other hand, rubbished the allegations.

"No question paper was leaked and made viral on social media on Monday. We are taking adequate steps to ensure that the HSC examination is conducted smoothly," said Patra.