Congress demands ouster of HRD minister, CBSE chief

NEW DELHI: Congress alleged there has been a pattern of irregularities with regard to examination papers at various levels ever since the NDA regime assumed office and claimed that the acknowledged leak of two CBSE exam papers is only the tip of the iceberg.

The main opposition party demanded the immediate sacking of HRD minister Prakash Javadekar and CBSE chief Anita Karwal. The party pointed to a series of changes made in the affairs of CBSE and the conduct of examinations.


“It may just turn out to be the tip of the iceberg as multiple news reports and social media stories on how the biology, chemistry and English papers have been leaked are also surfacing now,” AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

Alleging that an ‘exam mafia’ was flourishing under the BJP government, Surjewala said the Modi government should be renamed the ‘Paper Leak Government.’

The CBSE paper incident comes after the recent Staff Selection Commission examination paper leak, into which a CBI inquiry has been ordered. The SSC leak has jeopardised the future of about 2 lakh candidates seeking government jobs, Surjewala said. The CBSE paper leaks have hit the plans and hard work of lakhs of students, he said. “Modiji, your government has imperilled the future of our ‘Exam Warriors’,” the Congress spokesman said.

Congress asked why the previous CBSE chairperson was replaced before his tenure ended. “Why did the new chairperson not take any steps to curb the ‘exam mafia’ or cancel the examinations despite receiving the leaked papers?” Surjewala asked.

Congress questioned the credibility of CBSE to conduct other exams — the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test for students wanting to join medical colleges and the JEE for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology.