'Attacking me won't absolve you of your crimes': Rahul Gandhi to Dharmendra Pradhan over CBSE result fiasco

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday ratcheted up pressure on union government over CBSE result fiasco, saying if Prime Minister Narendra Modi cared, he would have sacked Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for “ruining” the future of lakhs of students.

His remarks came as Pradhan attacked Rahul for questioning the government for engaging Coempt Edutech in providing On Screen Marking system for CBSE, claiming that the Congress leader seems to have reached a different state of mind due to continuous electoral defeats.

Rahul said, “Dharmendra Pradhan-ji, you can attack me all you want but it won’t absolve you of your crimes. Nor will it stop me from demanding answers for 18.5 lakh children.”

He asked why did the CBSE hand over the OSM contract to Coempt Edutech, which was “already mired in controversy” under its old name Globarena.

“On whose orders was it done? Why were no background checks done? What is the connection between Coempt’s management and the Modi government? Either you ran a background check and went ahead anyway - or you didn’t run one at all. Either way, you are complicit,” he said.

“As for responsibility - if the PM cared, he should have sacked you long ago for ruining the futures of lakhs of students,” he added.

As Rahul on Wednesday demanded a judicial inquiry and a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the issue, Pradhan said the CBSE has made it clear that it was done in accordance with the government’s procurement policy. 

“I want to assure everyone that if any irregularities are found, no one will be spared. But as far as Rahul Gandhi is concerned, he seems to have reached a different state of mind. Due to continuous electoral defeats, he appears frustrated. He opposed SIR, he used to oppose EVMs, and he opposed Digital India. He does not seem to stand with India’s scientific progress,” he said. 

Pradhan said he takes responsibility on behalf of the government for any inconvenience.

“I request everyone that this is not the time for politics. Politics can be done later. Right now, the most important thing is that the mental stress of these students and examinees should not increase further. We appeal to everyone that no one’s words or behavior should add to their stress,” he said.