Gen Z will shatter PM's arrogance: Rahul slams govt over CBSE OSM row

Amid the controversy surrounding CBSE’s on-screen marking (OSM) system, Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the “Modi-Pradhan duo” of turning yet another institution into a “symbol of malpractice” and asserted that Gen Z would eventually break the prime minister’s “arrogance”.

The Lok Sabha LoP alleged that the Modi government was “afraid” of young people and Gen Z because they had begun asking difficult questions.

“The Modi-Pradhan duo has turned yet another institution into a symbol of malpractice. For the first time in decades, such serious questions have been raised regarding the CBSE board examinations. Eighteen and a half lakh students appeared for the exams — yet for over a week, complaints regarding OSM errors, incorrect marking and evaluation irregularities have gone unheard, while the education minister clings to his chair,” Gandhi said in a Hindi post on X.

Referring to a 17-year-old student whose answer sheet was allegedly evaluated incorrectly, Gandhi said the teenager had turned to social media seeking justice. Instead of receiving assistance, however, the student was subjected to “abuse” and branded by the BJP’s IT cell as “anti-national”, a “Soros agent” and part of the “deep state”, Gandhi claimed.

“A 17-year-old child raises his voice for his own future, and the BJP brands him a traitor,” the Congress leader said.

“The truth is — the Modi government fears the youth and Gen Z, because they are now asking questions. And anyone who dares to ask questions is vilified, intimidated and crushed by this government. But mark my words, Modi ji — this very youth, this very Gen Z will shatter your arrogance,” he added.

The remarks come amid complaints from students and parents over glitches in the CBSE re-evaluation process linked to the board’s post-result services portal.

The education ministry on Sunday said the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) would bring in experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and IIT-Kanpur to address technical issues affecting the system.

In a statement, the ministry said Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had directed teams of professors and technical experts from IIT-Madras and IIT-Kanpur to examine all technical problems reported since the rollout of this year’s post-examination re-evaluation services and assist CBSE in ensuring a glitch-free process.

“The expert team will implement focused technological improvements of the systems and technical workflows and will specifically examine portal stability and server performance,” the ministry said.

Pradhan reiterated that “student interests remain paramount” and said CBSE must undertake all necessary corrective measures on priority to ensure a “transparent, efficient and student-friendly system”, according to the statement.

On Saturday, the Union education minister had also sought a detailed report from the CBSE over complaints by students regarding technical glitches encountered during the re-evaluation process.

With PTI inputs