Long Series of Failures and Corruption During Dharmendra Pradhan’s Tenure: Congress

New Delhi, July 22 (SDNA): The Congress has targeted Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demanded his resignation. The party said that the demand is not based on any single issue but has been raised due to a long series of alleged failures and corruption-related issues that came to light during his tenure at the Ministry of Education.

Congress Communication Department in-charge Jairam Ramesh, in a statement issued on Wednesday, made serious allegations against Dharmendra Pradhan. He said that the Education Minister’s tenure has harmed the aspirations of millions of students, yet he has refused to resign.

Jairam Ramesh alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) remained under continuous scrutiny during Mr. Pradhan’s tenure. He said that in 2024, several incidents of question paper leaks and cancellation of examinations occurred, while in 2026, cases of paper leaks in NEET-UG and the UGC-NET Sociology examination came to light. The Congress leader alleged that the Education Minister had officially denied paper leak incidents and did not accept the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education.

He further alleged that irregularities were reported in the procurement process of the CBSE Class 12 On-Screen Marking System (OSM), but the report of the inquiry commission has not been made public so far. He also raised questions over the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in central universities, alleging that several appointments were made on the basis of political affiliations.

The Congress leader further alleged that complaints of corruption and authoritarian functioning have emerged in several universities. He also claimed that irregularities were reported in other autonomous institutions under the Ministry of Education, including NAAC, TISS, and ICHR.

Jairam Ramesh said that these issues represent only a small part of the overall picture related to the Education Minister’s tenure. He claimed that a detailed account of Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure would soon be presented before the country.