Indus Valley Times

New Delhi, Jun 7 :  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday praised whistleblower student Sarthak Sidhant and his associate Nisarga Adhikary for exposing what he described as a “collusion” between the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Coempt, saying that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants young people to keep “making reels and frying pakodas”, the two students chose to ask questions and uncovered answers as well.

Sharing a video of his meeting with Sarthak last week on X, the Congress leader highlighted the efforts of the 18-year-old student, who was affected by the CBSE’s On-screen Marking System (OSM) and has alleged irregularities in the tendering process for selecting a vendor to conduct the Class 12 board exam evaluation exercise.

In his Hindi post accompanying the video, Rahul Gandhi said, “Sarthak is 18 years old, yet, in terms of mindset, courage, and principles, he is second to none.”

He added that Sarthak and his associate Nisarg had achieved what “the country’s major media houses and investigative journalists could not” by exposing what he alleged was a “collusion between CBSE and Coempt.”

Calling it a victory for young people, the Congress leader said, “An 18-year-old from the country proved faster and sharper than the CBI; this victory for the youth is, in the true sense, a defeat for the government.”

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also took a swipe at PM Modi, saying, “Modi ji wants our youth to keep making reels and frying pakodas, without asking questions or opening their eyes. But these young men did ask questions, and they found the answers, too.”

Praising the students’ efforts, he added, “This is India’s true youth power — inquisitive, aware and informed. And remember, the country’s future will not be led astray.”

Although the government has removed two senior CBSE officials amid the controversy over the OSM, the Congress has termed the action an eyewash and an attempt to cover up the issue.

Rahul Gandhi has demanded the immediate removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for an independent judicial probe.

In the video, Gandhi is seen asking Sarthak Sidhant how he uncovered the alleged irregularities in the OSM tendering process. He also praised the student, saying his work was akin to that of an investigative journalist.

After meeting Sarthak Sidhant and his family last Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi shared photographs from the interaction and wrote, “Sarthak, stay firm on your principles.”

On the same day, Sidhant appeared before a parliamentary panel and made a presentation on the alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the On-Screen Marking System (OSM).

The controversy centres on the CBSE’s decision to replace the traditional method of evaluating Class 12 answer sheets with the digital On-Screen Marking System.

However, controversy erupted after several Class 12 students claimed that the scanned answer sheets uploaded by the CBSE did not match their handwriting, raising concerns about possible answer-sheet mismatches in the On-Screen Marking System (OSM).

-PTI