‘Soros agent’ jibe: Rahul Gandhi backs students questioning CBSE evaluation process

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on May 31 met a group of CBSE Class 12 students who had publicly raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the board’s evaluation process, and used the meeting to attack the BJP-led Centre over the treatment of students questioning the system.

Sharing details of the interaction on social media, Gandhi sarcastically described the meeting as “a chat with anti-national Soros agents”, a reference to online attacks directed at some students after they highlighted alleged issues related to answer-sheet evaluation and the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

According to reports, some students who questioned their results and evaluation process said they were branded “anti-national”, “Pakistani”, “deep state agents” and “Soros agents” on social media. One of the students, identified as Vedant, had earlier spoken publicly about alleged discrepancies in his answer-sheet evaluation.

During the interaction, Gandhi questioned how a teenager raising concerns about examination results could be accused of being linked to international conspiracies. Videos shared online showed him speaking with students about their experiences following the controversy.

The meeting comes amid an ongoing political row over the CBSE’s OSM system and complaints from students regarding alleged evaluation errors and technical glitches in post-result services.

In recent days, Gandhi has repeatedly targeted the Centre over the issue, alleging irregularities in the award of the OSM contract and questioning the role of the company handling the digital evaluation process.

The issue has gained wider attention in recent weeks after 17-year-old Jharkhand student Sarthak Sidhant published a blog examining documents related to CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) contract.

His analysis, which was later amplified by Rahul Gandhi, alleged irregularities in the tender process and sparked a political debate over transparency in the board's evaluation system. CBSE and the company that secured the contract have rejected allegations of wrongdoing.

Earlier this week, the Congress leader alleged that the contract awarded for CBSE’s digital evaluation system was linked to a company with a controversial track record and demanded greater transparency in the tendering process.

He also accused the government of failing to adequately address complaints raised by students and parents.

The controversy surrounding the CBSE evaluation process has triggered widespread discussion among students and parents after complaints emerged regarding answer-sheet marking, result discrepancies and technical issues in the re-evaluation portal.

Following the complaints, the Education Ministry said expert teams from IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur would assist CBSE in addressing technical issues and improving system performance.

The ministry has said student interests remain the priority and directed CBSE to ensure a transparent and efficient post-examination process.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also sought a detailed report from the board regarding technical glitches reported during the re-evaluation process.