Published May 31, 2026 | 6:43 PM ⚊ Updated May 31, 2026 | 6:43 PM
Gandhi discussed the students' experiences of raising concerns about the OSM system and the backlash that followed. (X/RahulGandhi)
Synopsis: Rahul Gandhi on Sunday backed Class XII students who were labelled “anti-national”, “Pakistanis” and “deep state agents” after highlighting irregularities in CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. During an interaction with affected students, Gandhi criticised the abuse directed at them and said the Centre must acknowledge problems if it wants to solve them. The remarks come as criticism of the OSM system continues to grow, with CBSE attempting to deflect criticism by mandating schools to come to its defence.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, 31 May voiced support for Class XII students who were branded “anti-national”, “Pakistanis” and “deep state agents” after highlighting irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.
Sharing a short clip of his interaction with some of the affected students, including Vedant Srivastav, who first brought the issue to public attention, on X, Gandhi dubbed it “a revealing chat with my fellow anti-national Soros agents.”
“Vedant and his friends are brilliant, brave young Indians who asked CBSE and the Modi government simple questions, but received insults instead of answers. They deserve a bright and secure future. We will make sure they get it,” the Congress leader wrote.
In the video, Gandhi discussed the students’ experiences of raising concerns about the OSM system and the backlash that followed. One student told him, “They started calling us anti-national and Pakistani.”
A revealing chat with my fellow “anti-national Soros agents.”
Vedant and his friends are brilliant, brave young Indians who asked CBSE and the Modi government simple questions – but got insults instead of answers.
They deserve a bright and secure future. We will make sure they… pic.twitter.com/5InBxgJv1B
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 31, 2026
Responding, Gandhi quipped, “Seventeen-year-old deep state agents. Brother, show the terrorists’ faces. Show them for a moment,” referring to the students, drawing laughter.
Recounting his experience, Vedant told Gandhi that he became suspicious after receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics despite believing he had performed well in the examination.
“When I looked at my Physics answer sheet, I felt the exam had gone very well, but I didn’t get good marks. After that, I applied for a photocopy of my answer sheet. When I opened it, the handwriting at the beginning was mine. But as I went through the questions, I noticed that from a certain point onward the handwriting was different. That’s when I realised it was not my sheet,” he said.
Vedant said he then took the issue to X, where he initially received support from other users. “I brought my issue to X. People supported it and said this was a serious case. But as public support grew, they tried to silence us because they thought we were some deep state agents trying to create unrest in India,” he said.
Gandhi responded with a laugh: “Seventeen-year-old deep state agents. What is a deep state, brother? Then Soros enters the picture. Pakistan, Soros—everybody has come into it.”
Also Read: CBSE’s OSM gamble and ‘lab mice’: How new system left lakhs of students aghast
Gandhi described the abuse directed at the students as “crazy”.
“That is crazy. And you are students. You have got nothing to do with any of this. You are simply asking for your answer sheet. That’s all. And suddenly you become anti-nationals,” he said.
“You have to accept a problem if you want to solve it. Instead, you are refusing to acknowledge that the problem exists. You are blaming these kids and calling them deep state agents, spies or terrorists.”
The interaction comes amid continuing criticism from students and parents over flaws in CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system as well as its woeful cybersecurity infrastructure.
On Saturday, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government of damaging the country’s education system and demanded the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“NEET. CBSE. SSC. And today CUET. Four exams. One crore children. Not a single one conducted honestly. They claim India is a ‘Vishwaguru’, yet cannot conduct even one examination properly. Modi ji has completely ruined the education system. The generation whose future you are destroying will hold you accountable,” Gandhi wrote on X.
As criticism continued, CBSE regional offices on 29 May circulated a social media toolkit titled “Material for Principals” to school heads across the country, urging them to publicly defend the OSM system.
The document included suggested responses for principals to use while addressing concerns online. One of the proposed messages described CBSE as “highly proactive, empathetic, and communicative regarding these teething issues”.
Another stated: “As with the rollout of any technology on such an unprecedented scale, I know that a few implementation bumps have caused concern. Please do not panic. I want to reassure every student and parent that no child will be allowed to suffer due to a technical error.”
