Rahul Gandhi never fact checks, levels baseless allegations: Pradhan hits back
Dharmendra Pradhan hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his allegations on NEET and CBSE. The exchange unfolded as the Centre defended exam safeguards, digital evaluation and wider reforms.
The political battle over the NEET and CBSE controversies escalated sharply on Thursday after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making “baseless” allegations without fact-checking, even as the government defended its handling of exam-related concerns affecting lakhs of students.
Pradhan launched the attack during an interview while responding to Gandhi’s allegations regarding irregularities in the CBSE evaluation system and questions surrounding examination contracts and reforms.
“Rahul Gandhi does not fact-check. He sits on baseless things. This is another proof of his practice of saying lies,” Pradhan said.
The minister accused the Leader of Opposition of repeatedly politicising issues linked to technology and governance reforms.
“He opposed EVMs, he opposed Digital India. He has a habit and a disease,” Pradhan said, adding that Gandhi appeared frustrated because of continuous electoral defeats.
The sharp exchange came amid intense scrutiny over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and the ongoing row surrounding CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system.
NEET RETEST UNDER MASSIVE SCRUTINY
During the interview, Pradhan repeatedly insisted that reducing stress among students remained the government’s biggest priority as preparations intensified for the June 21 NEET retest.
Calling the previous controversy “unfortunate”, the minister said the government had accepted responsibility and was now rebuilding the examination process with stricter safeguards.
“This is a student-centric examination. We took responsibility to reduce the burden and stress on children,” he said.
Pradhan said students would not be charged fresh fees for the retest and candidates had also been given the option to change their examination centres.
According to him, around 2.5 to 3 lakh students changed their centres and arrangements had been made accordingly.
The minister said more than 5,400 examination centres would be secured with support from state governments and district administrations.
“From preparation of the question paper to transportation, examination and return of papers to safe centres, every protocol and SOP will be followed,” he said.
The government is also exploring the use of Indian Air Force aircraft for transportation of NEET question papers to avoid any security lapses.
CBSE ROW AND OSM CONTROVERSY
The minister also addressed criticism surrounding the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system after complaints from students regarding answer-sheet access and technical glitches.
Pradhan described the OSM process as a “modern arrangement” and defended the move towards digital evaluation.
“This was the first time CBSE implemented the system on such a large scale,” he said.
According to him, nearly 17 lakh students appeared for the examination, involving evaluation of around 98 lakh answer sheets digitally.
He admitted that technical problems emerged because of heavy traffic on the platform and payment gateway challenges.
“There was a glitch because of the load factor. We handled it,” he said.
The minister said four public sector banks - State Bank of India, Indian Bank, Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda - had now been integrated into the system to strengthen the platform.
He added that IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras had been tasked with checking the robustness and security of the digital infrastructure.
RAHUL GANDHI RAISES QUESTIONS
Rahul Gandhi had earlier demanded an independent judicial probe and constitution of a Special Investigation Team into the alleged irregularities.
He questioned why CBSE had handed contracts to a firm “already mired in controversy” and asked whether background checks were conducted.
“Either you ran a background check and went ahead anyway, or you didn’t run one at all. Either way, you are complicit,” Gandhi wrote on X.
The Congress leader also claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have removed Pradhan earlier for “jeopardising the futures of countless students”.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too attacked the minister, accusing him of “arrogance” and “mismanagement”.
PRADHAN SAYS REFORMS UNDERWAY
Pradhan maintained that reforms were already being implemented and said NEET would gradually shift towards a computer-based testing format in the future.
“In the coming years, we will convert NEET into a computer-based test,” he said.
The minister also defended the National Testing Agency, saying it conducts examinations for nearly one crore students annually and continues to evolve as a technology-driven institution.
At the same time, he admitted that the NEET controversy had exposed vulnerabilities in the system.
“Some people want to break the system. Some children also look for shortcuts,” he said.
Pradhan assured that the government would pursue end-to-end reforms to prevent future paper leaks and examination compromises.
“I assure you that we will finish this paper compromise,” he said.
The political battle over the NEET and CBSE controversies escalated sharply on Thursday after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of making “baseless” allegations without fact-checking, even as the government defended its handling of exam-related concerns affecting lakhs of students.
Pradhan launched the attack during an interview while responding to Gandhi’s allegations regarding irregularities in the CBSE evaluation system and questions surrounding examination contracts and reforms.
“Rahul Gandhi does not fact-check. He sits on baseless things. This is another proof of his practice of saying lies,” Pradhan said.
The minister accused the Leader of Opposition of repeatedly politicising issues linked to technology and governance reforms.
“He opposed EVMs, he opposed Digital India. He has a habit and a disease,” Pradhan said, adding that Gandhi appeared frustrated because of continuous electoral defeats.
The sharp exchange came amid intense scrutiny over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and the ongoing row surrounding CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system.
NEET RETEST UNDER MASSIVE SCRUTINY
During the interview, Pradhan repeatedly insisted that reducing stress among students remained the government’s biggest priority as preparations intensified for the June 21 NEET retest.
Calling the previous controversy “unfortunate”, the minister said the government had accepted responsibility and was now rebuilding the examination process with stricter safeguards.
“This is a student-centric examination. We took responsibility to reduce the burden and stress on children,” he said.
Pradhan said students would not be charged fresh fees for the retest and candidates had also been given the option to change their examination centres.
According to him, around 2.5 to 3 lakh students changed their centres and arrangements had been made accordingly.
The minister said more than 5,400 examination centres would be secured with support from state governments and district administrations.
“From preparation of the question paper to transportation, examination and return of papers to safe centres, every protocol and SOP will be followed,” he said.
The government is also exploring the use of Indian Air Force aircraft for transportation of NEET question papers to avoid any security lapses.
CBSE ROW AND OSM CONTROVERSY
The minister also addressed criticism surrounding the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system after complaints from students regarding answer-sheet access and technical glitches.
Pradhan described the OSM process as a “modern arrangement” and defended the move towards digital evaluation.
“This was the first time CBSE implemented the system on such a large scale,” he said.
According to him, nearly 17 lakh students appeared for the examination, involving evaluation of around 98 lakh answer sheets digitally.
He admitted that technical problems emerged because of heavy traffic on the platform and payment gateway challenges.
“There was a glitch because of the load factor. We handled it,” he said.
The minister said four public sector banks - State Bank of India, Indian Bank, Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda - had now been integrated into the system to strengthen the platform.
He added that IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras had been tasked with checking the robustness and security of the digital infrastructure.
RAHUL GANDHI RAISES QUESTIONS
Rahul Gandhi had earlier demanded an independent judicial probe and constitution of a Special Investigation Team into the alleged irregularities.
He questioned why CBSE had handed contracts to a firm “already mired in controversy” and asked whether background checks were conducted.
“Either you ran a background check and went ahead anyway, or you didn’t run one at all. Either way, you are complicit,” Gandhi wrote on X.
The Congress leader also claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have removed Pradhan earlier for “jeopardising the futures of countless students”.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too attacked the minister, accusing him of “arrogance” and “mismanagement”.
PRADHAN SAYS REFORMS UNDERWAY
Pradhan maintained that reforms were already being implemented and said NEET would gradually shift towards a computer-based testing format in the future.
“In the coming years, we will convert NEET into a computer-based test,” he said.
The minister also defended the National Testing Agency, saying it conducts examinations for nearly one crore students annually and continues to evolve as a technology-driven institution.
At the same time, he admitted that the NEET controversy had exposed vulnerabilities in the system.
“Some people want to break the system. Some children also look for shortcuts,” he said.
Pradhan assured that the government would pursue end-to-end reforms to prevent future paper leaks and examination compromises.
“I assure you that we will finish this paper compromise,” he said.
