Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, May 25, 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over alleged irregularities in the CBSE board examinations, accusing the administration of turning yet another institution into a symbol of malpractice. Gandhi's post on X, directed at what he called the 'Modi-Pradhan duo,' came amid reported complaints from students and parents about On-Screen Marking (OSM) errors, wrong marking, and evaluation discrepancies in the board results.

Context

In his post, Gandhi wrote in Hindi: 'Modi-Pradhan ki jodi ne ek aur sanstha ko dhandli ka pratik bana diya' — translated as, 'The Modi-Pradhan duo has turned yet another institution into a symbol of fraud.' He noted that serious questions were being raised about the CBSE board examinations for the first time in decades, with 18.5 lakh (1.85 million) students having appeared for the exam. Gandhi alleged that complaints about OSM, wrong marking, and evaluation irregularities had gone unheard for over a week, and that the Education Minister remained unmoved from his chair — implying inaction.

The reference to 'Pradhan' is widely understood to point to Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Education Minister who oversees school and higher education policy under the NDA government. Gandhi's framing positions the alleged examination lapses as part of a pattern of institutional erosion under the current administration.

Policy Backdrop

CBSE introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) in phases after 2017 to digitise the evaluation of answer scripts, aiming to reduce human error and improve transparency. However, the shift to digital evaluation has also introduced new categories of complaints, including software errors, mismatched scripts, and incorrect tabulation of marks.

The board has faced examination integrity crises before — most notably in 2018, when paper leak incidents in Class 10 Mathematics and Class 12 Economics forced nationwide re-examinations and triggered parliamentary scrutiny. The National Education Policy 2020 subsequently called for a fundamental rethink of board examination patterns and assessment methods, though implementation has been incremental.

Stakeholders and Impact

The students most directly affected are the 18.5 lakh candidates who appeared in the examination cycle in question. For many, board results are the gateway to college admissions, competitive entrance examinations, and scholarship eligibility — making marking accuracy a high-stakes concern. Parents and student groups have reportedly been raising complaints for over a week without receiving satisfactory responses from the board or the ministry, according to Gandhi's post.

Opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress, have periodically used lapses in central educational institutions to build a broader narrative about governance failure. Gandhi's intervention raises the political profile of what might otherwise be treated as an administrative grievance, potentially forcing a parliamentary response when the Monsoon Session convenes.

What's Next

The Ministry of Education and CBSE are yet to issue a formal public response to the specific complaints raised. Pressure is likely to mount for the board to release a detailed statement on the OSM process, the volume of complaints received, and the redressal mechanism available to affected students.

With the Monsoon Session of Parliament approaching, questions on CBSE evaluation reforms and result declaration timelines are expected to feature prominently. If the ministry does not act, the issue could become a sustained Opposition flashpoint — drawing in student unions, state governments, and education policy advocates across the political spectrum.