'Throwing dust in people's eyes': Congress after transfer of CBSE officers amid OSM row; calls for sacking Dharmendra Pradhan

NEW DELHI: Congress termed the transfer of Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE)'s top officials after the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system row a "petty" move, calling upon the Union education minister to take responsibility.

The opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "protecting" the education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"The Modi government is completely engaged in the act of throwing dust in people's eyes. The entire responsibility for the irregularities in CBSE lies with the Ministry of Education, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is accountable for this. 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," Congress said in a post on X.


Also read: Sonam Wangchuk to join CJP protest seeking Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on June 6

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh demanded that Pradhan be sacked. "The CBSE Chairman and Secretary have been transferred. Justice requires that the Mantri Pradhan be sacked. The CBSE leadership’s unceremonious exit and the constitution of the one-member committee to investigate the procurement of the CBSE’s On Screen Marking (OSM) system prove that irregularities were committed. This is a testament to the ingenuity and skill of Gen Z students - who exposed this scandal online and even presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education under the Chairmanship of Digvijaya Singh (@digvijaya_28) today," he said.

He further called it 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. The Mantri Pradhan has been presiding over a monumentally corrupt, inept, and incompetent ecosystem that has played havoc with the lives of lakhs of youth. He needs to resign immediately," he said.


CBSE chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta have been transferred, while a committee has been set up to investigate the procurement of the OSM facility, as per an official statement.

The government's move came on the day CBSE launched its Class 12 re-verification portal, which the board said was hit by cyberattacks shortly after going live. CBSE reported unusually high traffic and over one lakh unauthorised access attempts, while the portal's launch had already been delayed by a day due to technical issues.

Also read: CBSE debacle: Centre transfers chairman, secretary; panel to probe procurement of OSM services