Rahul Gandhi accuses government of ‘cover-up’ after CBSE chairman, secretary transferred

Soon after the government transferred two top CBSE officials following the controversy over on-screen marking system of Class 12 exams, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, 2 June, called the move a “cover-up” and demanded the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with an independent judicial inquiry.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi criticised the government for sparing the education Minister while shifting the blame onto officials. “CBSE Chairman – Transferred. CBSE Secretary – Transferred. A one-member inquiry committee – Formed. And the real culprit, Dharmendra Pradhan – Safe. Officials removed, minister spared. This isn’t accountability—it’s a cover-up,” he wrote.

He added, “Our demand remains the same: Dismiss the Education Minister and conduct an independent judicial inquiry — these aren’t some one-month-old internal files of the Modi government to be brushed aside just like that. If the Prime Minister cared about the 18.5 lakh CBSE students, Dharmendra Pradhan ji would have been removed long ago.”

CBSE officials transferred

The government on Tuesday transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta, following allegations of irregularities in the Class 12 digital evaluation system.

It also initiated a probe through the constitution of a one-member committee to investigate how the CBSE procured the on-screen marking (OSM) services.

The committee will be chaired by S. Radha Chauhan, chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, Cabinet Secretariat. Empowered to obtain assistance from other departments, the committee is required to submit its report to the department of personnel and training within one month.

Concerns had been raised by students and parents regarding the implementation of the OSM system during this year’s CBSE board exams.

(With agency inputs)