Prateek Tanmay
2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 2, 2026 10:53 PM IST
AS THE government transferred CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh and Secretary Himanshu Gupta on Tuesday amid the ongoing On-Screen Marking row, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reiterated his demand for the sacking of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and said that the transfers were not “accountability” but a “cover-up”.
Gandhi, who has been vocal against Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak and the CBSE row, said in a post on X: “Officials removed. Minister spared. This isn’t accountability— it’s a cover-up. Our demand remains the same today: Dismiss the Education Minister and conduct an independent judicial inquiry — these aren’t some one-month-old internal file of the Modi government to be brushed aside just like that.”
He said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi cared about the 18.5 million CBSE students, Pradhan would have been removed long ago.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the transfers were a “mere eye-wash”. “Modi ji should immediately sack Dharmendra Pradhan. Nothing less than that would provide a sense of justice to 18.5 lakh CBSE students. ‘Big Breaking’ is not this whitewashing, the Real News is Pradhan’s continuation despite all this,” he said in a post on X.
Congress MP and communication in charge Jairam Ramesh said, “This sudden departure of CBSE leadership and the formation of a one-member commission to investigate the procurement process of CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system prove that irregularities did occur. This is a testament to the wisdom and skill of Gen Z students — who exposed this scandal online and today also presented their case before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education chaired by Digvijaya Singh.”
He said that Tuesday’s action, which was clearly timed immediately after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education’s meeting with the CBSE board, is an attempt to deflect attention by holding bureaucrats accountable instead of the political leadership.
“It should be remembered that CBSE Chairperson Rahul Singh had been granted a two-year service extension by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments as recently as November 2025. Minister Pradhan is leading a highly corrupt, incompetent, and unworthy ecosystem that has toyed with the lives of millions of young people. He should resign immediately,” said Ramesh.
