New Delhi: Opposition members on Thursday (July 2) sharply reacted to the government’s stance during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after the secretary of the Union education ministry, Vineet Joshi, told the committee that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) chief was not bound to answer questions related to the ongoing issues surrounding examinations, The Indian Express reported.A heated argument erupted during the meeting, which was headed by Congress MP K.C. Venugopal, the chairperson of the committee. The CBSE has been under fire in recent months in light of the serious discrepancies in on-screen marking for its Class 12 examination and the award of the digital evaluation contract to a questionable firm.The agenda for the parliamentary panel’s meeting included a briefing, followed by oral evidence from representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education on the review of the implementation of centrally sponsored education schemes such as Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, PM SHRI and PM POSHAN.According to Express, before any member could even raise questions to CBSE chairperson Lokhande Prashant Sitaram regarding the recent controversies, Joshi, backed by other BJP leaders, said that the CBSE chief, who also happens to be an ex-officio member of the Ram temple trust, was not obligated to respond to inquiries from the committee as the body was not funded by the Union government.Also read: ‘Monumental Betrayal of Hindu Faith’: K.C. Venugopal Writes to PM, Calls For SC-Monitored Probe Into Ram Temple Funds TheftVenugopal reportedly pushed back, saying the committee functions as a mini-parliament and that if the parliament had the authority to question the CBSE, the PAC also had oversight powers.According to a report by The Hindu, the argument went on for 15 to 20 minutes. Eventually, Venugopal stated that the Education Secretary could not dictate what the PAC could or could not discuss, and as a parent and a representative of millions of parents across the country, it was essential that the concerns around CBSE’s functioning be addressed. Systemic lapses, he reportedly said, must be acknowledged and rectified.Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee backed Venugopal, the daily reported, highlighting that accountability questions regarding students’ welfare cannot be sidestepped.When members insisted that the exchange be placed on record, Joshi reportedly withdrew his comments. He then informed the committee that they would seek the Union law ministry’s opinion regarding the questions before responding.In a similar confrontation last week, the Venugopal-led committee held an intense discussion on the multi-crore Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project, to deliberate on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). He and several opposition members raised concerns over the mega project’s potential impact on the island’s fragile ecology.However, BJP MP Anurag Singh Thakur had reportedly interceded to point out that this issue was beyond the agenda of the meeting.