Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met Class 12 student Vedant Shrivastava, whose complaint regarding an answer-sheet mix-up in the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system triggered a nationwide debate, and mocked the allegations and abuse directed at the teenager and his family on social media.
In a video shared on X on Sunday, Gandhi interacted with Vedant, his elder brother Siddhant and a group of students, discussing the backlash they faced after raising concerns about the CBSE’s evaluation process.
During the conversation, Gandhi referred to accusations frequently levelled against critics of the government, including labels such as “anti-national”, “deep state agents”, “Pakistani” and “Soros agents”.
“Were you also called ‘terrorists’? Tell me!” Gandhi asked the students in the video.
Vedant’s brother, Siddhant Shrivastava, responded that after the issue gained public attention, some social media users alleged that they were part of a “deep state” effort to create unrest in the country.
Gandhi laughed and remarked, “Seventeen-year-old ‘deep state agents’! Show their faces... Come on, show the faces of these ‘terrorists’!”
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Sharing the clip, Gandhi wrote on X: “A revealing chat with my fellow 'anti-national Soros agents'.” He added that Vedant and his friends had asked “simple questions” to the CBSE and the government but received insults instead of answers.
Vedant’s case became one of the most discussed aspects of the broader controversy surrounding CBSE’s first-time use of the OSM system. The Delhi-based student had claimed that the Physics answer sheet provided to him by the board did not match his handwriting and appeared to belong to another candidate.
Following widespread attention, the Central Board of Secondary Education acknowledged the issue, stating that the correct answer script had been sent to Vedant and that his result would be revised wherever required.
The controversy later expanded to include questions over the OSM tender process after a separate blog by Jharkhand-based student Sarthak Sidhant attracted political attention. Gandhi and several opposition leaders subsequently sought an independent probe into the matter, while CBSE and OSM contractor Coempt Edutech rejected the allegations.
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