Shortly after the transfer of CBSE’s chairman and secretary amid the On-Screen Marking system row, the Opposition has called for stricter action and the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Taking to X, the Indian National Congress reiterated its call for Pradhan’s resignation. “The entire responsibility for the irregularities in CBSE lies with the Ministry of Education, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is accountable for this,” the party wrote, adding that Dharmendra Pradhan had “no right to remain in his position”.
“The contract to a corrupt company like COEMPT was awarded under the oversight of Dharmendra Pradhan and the Modi government. The Modi government cannot escape its accountability through these petty actions. Dharmendra Pradhan has no right to remain in his position. Narendra Modi should stop protecting him and dismiss him immediately,” the INC added. The company and CBSE have denied any corruption, though a probe has now been ordered by the Centre.
Also Read | CBSE chairman, secretary transferred in government action amid OSM row
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also stated that the government’s actions to transfer the CBSE officials show that irregularities were committed.
“Today’s action, clearly timed for after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education’s meeting with the CBSE Board, is an attempt to distract and fix accountability on bureaucrats rather than the political leadership. It should be remembered that CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh had been given a two-year extension by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments as recently as November 2025,” Ramesh wrote on X.
Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), also called for stricter action, accusing the Modi government of “protecting the officials.”
“What? CBSE Chairman and Secretary transferred? Bas? Is that govt’s response to such a huge scandal? Is that a punishment or protection?,” he wrote on X.
CBSE’s OSM portal row
Over the past few weeks, posts from students, parents, teachers have made rounds on social media, alleging irregularities in CBSE’s OSM portal.
However, the issue reached the national limelight after two teenagers exposed the board’s faulty systems.
17-year-old Sarthak Sidhant made headlines after he published his findings after reviewing tender documents on the Central Public Procurement portal. His findings alleged that the Central Board of Secondary Education “rewrote rules” to favour Coempt EduTeck.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Nisarga Adhikary claimed he was able to hack the OSM portal and identify serious lapses in the online portal.
In a detailed blog post published on his website and also shared on X, Nisarga said he had identified several major security flaws in the CBSE portal back in February and reported them to CERT-In.
