The Congress questions why the Prime Minister is protecting Pradhan despite the “incompetence and corruption” of the Education Ministry

“The CBSE not only ignored this sage advice to postpone the adoption of OSM, but also failed to address many of the specific issues raised by the participants,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

The Congress on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) launched a scathing attack on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) On Screen Marking (OSM) system, alleging that he has “brazenly kicked his heels into office” despite mounting evidence of “incompetence and corruption” in his ministry.

The transfer of CBSE’s top leadership has failed to address the issue of accountability at the highest levels of the education ministry, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said.

Also Read: Why is CBSE’s evaluation system facing flak? | Explained

“CBSE leadership may have been transferred but Mantri Pradhan (Minister Dharmendra Pradhan) is brazenly digging his heels in office even as evidence of incompetence and corruption in his ministry is mounting,” Mr Ramesh said in a post on the X social media platform.

Alleging that Mr. Pradhan led a “corrupt, incompetent and callous” ministry, Mr. Ramesh referred to reports that the CBSE was unable to satisfactorily answer questions on the procurement process for the OSM system before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, chaired by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

“We have learned from media reports that the CBSE was unable to respond to questions on OSM procurement raised by the Digvijay Singh-led Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education after it heard 18-year-old student Sarthak Sidhant, who first raised the issue of corruption in the tender through social media,” Mr Ramesh said.

Also Read: Why CBSE Must Rethink Its Screen Marking System

Mr. Ramesh termed it a “blatant lack of accountability at the highest level of CBSE and the Education Ministry” and also cited the media investigation into CBSE’s eight-year dry run. According to him, several participants have expressed concerns about the system and urged the board to delay its implementation until the glitches are resolved and the evaluators are adequately trained.

“The CBSE not only ignored this wise advice to postpone the adoption of OSM, but also failed to address many of the specific issues raised by the participants,” the Congress leader said.

Mr. Ramesh further alleged that the board repeatedly failed to meet deadlines for reconsideration requests. “We already know that CBSE has been consistently missing its own deadline for revaluation of student papers. First it moved the date from May 29 and then missed its own deadline of June 1. When the portal finally opened on June 2, several students had problems accessing it and making payments on it,” he said.

“Why does the Pradhan Mantri (PM) insist on protecting him? Whose patronage has ensured his survival so far?” Mr. Ramesh stated that even the supporters of the ruling alliance were unhappy with the minister’s performance.

On Tuesday (June 2, 2026), the Cabinet Secretariat announced the setting up of a one-member inquiry committee headed by S. Radha Chauhan, chairperson of the Capacity Building Commission, to look into matters related to the awarding of service contracts for the OSM system by the CBSE.

Published – 03 Jun 2026 18:45 IST