Prime Minister should have sacked Pradhan for ‘ruining the future of millions of students’: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi talks to students in Chennai on May 28, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (May 28, 2026) accused Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of “complicity” in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to award the contract for its new on-screen marking (OSM) system to a controversial firm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have sacked Mr Pradhan for “ruining the future of millions of students”, Mr Gandhi said in response to widespread complaints of irregularities in the new assessment process.

His remarks came after the education minister said Mr Gandhi was making the allegation after facing repeated electoral defeats.

“Dharmendra Pradhan ji, you can attack me all you want, but it will not absolve you of your crimes. Nor will it stop me from demanding answers for 18.5 million children,” the Leader of Opposition in the Llok Sabha said in a post on X.

Controversial contract

Mr. Gandhi accused Mr. Pradhan of not answering questions about the awarding of the CBSE OSM contract to COEMPT, a company he said had previously operated as Globarena and was already “mired in controversy.” He asked why the contract was awarded to COEMPT, whether any background checks were done and what links, if any, existed between the company’s management and the Union government.

“Either you did the background check and still went ahead – or you didn’t do it at all. Either way, you’re complicit,” he argued.

Escalating his attack, Mr Gandhi said the responsibility ultimately rested with the Prime Minister. “As for accountability – if the Prime Minister cared, he should have fired you a long time ago for destroying the future of millions of students,” he said.

“Den of Corruption”

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh also accused Mr. Pradhan of resorting to “arrogance and political dramabaazi” instead of addressing the concerns of students’ welfare.

In a separate X post, Mr Ramesh claimed the Education Minister was attacking the Leader of the Opposition while presiding over a “den of corruption and mismanagement”.

He added that the responsibility for the “NEET-CBSE debacles” lies not only with Mr. Pradhan but also with the Prime Minister, who continued to support him even after question paper leaks and widespread irregularities marred the conduct of the 2024 entrance medical examination by the National Testing Agency.

Published – 28 May 2026 21:38 IST