CBSE paper leak: Rahul Gandhi takes dig at Narendra Modi over controversy, says 'chowkidar is weak'

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday demanded that HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwal be sacked in the wake of board paper leaks and a probe by a High Court judge be ordered into the matter. Alleging that the ’exam mafia’ was being encouraged under the Modi government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that exam leaks destroy the hopes and future of millions of students and warned that “this is just a beginning”. He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying there are a number of “leaks” under this government, which show that “the ‘chowkidar’ is weak”, an apparent reference to Modi’s poll refrain that he would work as a watchman and stop wrongdoings. “Time to fix accountability and sack HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwal,” Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_4411351” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Twitter/@INCIndia[/caption] Addressing a press conference, he said it is “shocking” that the future of 24 lakh students is in “severe jeopardy” as the government has officially admitted that two papers of CBSE Class 10 and 12 were leaked. “This has exposed the capture of the highest academic institutions by the ’exam mafia’ under the watch of Modi government, as also absolute abdication of authority by the HRD minister and the CBSE chairperson,” he said. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, “The Congress always protected our institutions. This is what happens when institutions are destroyed by the RSS/BJP.” Surjewala said that as the “exam mafia is running amok”, the HRD minister, instead of accepting responsibility, is busy targeting political opponents in West Bengal. “It may just turn out to be the tip of the iceberg as multiple news reports and social media stories on how Biology, Chemistry and English papers have also been leaked are also surfacing now,” he said. The Delhi Police’s crime branch is investigating the alleged leak after registering two separate cases. Terming the issue “unfortunate”, Javadekar has said the culprits will be punished. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which has announced a retest in the two papers — Class 10 Mathematics and Class 12 Economics, will declare the re-examination date on Monday or Tuesday, he said.