In a social media post, Gandhi linked the CBSE Class 12 evaluation row to what he called a broader pattern of suppressing dissent under the Modi government.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the controversy surrounding CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system and other alleged irregularities, accusing the government of ignoring students’ concerns. He said the government has been branding young voices as “anti-national” for questioning the evaluation process.

In a social media post, Gandhi linked the ongoing criticism over Class 12 board exam evaluation to what he described as a wider pattern of suppressing dissent under the Modi government.

“The Modi-Shah duo has turned yet another institution into a symbol of rigging,” Gandhi wrote, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

Rahul Gandhi cites student complaints over evaluation
The Congress MP said serious questions had emerged over the CBSE board examination process this year, particularly after some students reported alleged discrepancies linked to the OSM evaluation system.

“For the first time in decades, such serious questions have been raised about the CBSE board exams. 18.5 lakh children took the exam—and for a week now, complaints of OSM, wrong marking, and evaluation glitches have gone unheard, while the Education Minister clings to his chair,” Gandhi said, targeting minister Dharmendra Pradhan who has been under fore over the NEET-UG paper leak too.

‘Modi government fears Gen Z’
Gandhi further alleged that the government was uncomfortable with young people raising questions publicly. “The truth is—Modi government fears the youth and Gen Z, because they are now asking questions. And anyone who asks questions, this government defames, intimidates, crushes,” he wrote.

What is the controversy?
The controversy erupted after several students and parents began posting complaints online alleging discrepancies in the digital assessment process. Among the concerns raised were “unclear” scanned copies of answersheets, calculation mistakes in marks, and responses that students claimed had not been evaluated.
The matter gained momentum as students shared their marked answer sheets on social media while demanding re-evaluation.

The CBSE has not reacted expressly to the claims on answersheets and handwriting “mismatches”. However, the education ministry has roped in IITs and PSU banks to help with other glitches in the online re-evaluation process.

Prominently, one student identified as Vedant took to social media and mentioned that the Physics marksheet uploded against him name was not his. “After receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics, we applied for photocopies of my answer sheets through the CBSE reevaluation process.Today we received the copies. And I am shattered because the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE is not mine,” he wote.