Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday, 29 May 2025 hit back at Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)'s contract with EdTech firm Coempt Edu Tech, pointing out that the same company had been repeatedly awarded projects by institutions operating under Congress-led governments in Telangana and Karnataka. The minister's remarks came after CBSE dismissed Gandhi's impropriety charges over the contract.

What Goyal Alleged

In a post on social media platform X, Goyal accused Gandhi of suffering from 'chronic political amnesia' and choosing 'propaganda over facts, theatrics over truth.' He charged that Coempt Edu Tech Pvt. Ltd. — the very company Gandhi was labelling 'controversial' — had received project awards from multiple Congress-governed institutions.

According to Goyal, Bengaluru City University in Karnataka signed an agreement with the firm in November 2025, while Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences in Telangana did so in September 2024. He further cited agreements by Adikavi Sri Maharshi Valmiki University, Raichur, in March 2024, and Karnataka University, Dharwad, in June 2023. Goyal also claimed the Telangana State Health University had publicly praised the company on its official website.

The Question Goyal Posed

Goyal challenged Gandhi to clarify whether, given his characterisation of the company as tainted, he would accuse the Congress Chief Ministers of Telangana and Karnataka of collusion and demand their resignations. The minister asked whether those state governments had signed agreements 'blindfolded', or whether Gandhi's outrage was, in his words, 'selective, scripted, and meant only for headlines against the Modi government.'

How the Controversy Began

The dispute traces back to a student, Vedant Shrivastava, who applied for a photocopy of his Physics answer sheet on 19 May after receiving unexpectedly low marks. Four days later, he posted on X that the sheet CBSE emailed him did not match his handwriting and appeared to belong to another student. CBSE subsequently acknowledged the error and provided the correct answer sheet on the following Monday.

Gandhi cited the incident to allege 'massive tampering' in CBSE exam results, calling it a 'deliberate conspiracy', and raised questions over the board's contract with Coempt Edu Tech. He also noted that the company had been linked to a similar episode in Telangana in 2019 under the name Globarena.

Education Minister's Response

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Gandhi of opposing 'every reform initiative undertaken by the government.' Pradhan stated that CBSE had issued its clarification and that the contract was executed in accordance with the Government of India's procurement policy, adding that strict action would follow if any negligence were established.

Pradhan further said Gandhi appeared to be 'in a different mindset due to continuous electoral losses' and had opposed initiatives including the SIR process, EVMs, and Digital India. He appealed to all political parties not to politicise matters concerning students.

Gandhi's Retaliation

Gandhi responded directly to Pradhan, writing: 'Dharmendra Pradhan ji, you can attack me all you want, but it won't absolve you of your crimes. Nor will it stop me from demanding answers for 18.5 lakh children.' He sought to identify who authorised the CBSE-Coempt contract, held the minister responsible, and called for his dismissal.

With both sides entrenched, the row over CBSE's digital evaluation system and its vendor contracts shows no sign of abating ahead of the next parliamentary session.