Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday came down heavily on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the ongoing CBSE and NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversies, raising fresh questions over an alleged family-associated trust and properties abroad.Travel Guides & Travelogues
At a press conference here, BJD Rajya Sabha member Sulata Deo highlighted social media discussions, claiming that Dharmendra’s wife Mridula Pradhan is the trustee chairperson of Vikas Foundation Trust. “The Union Minister was also a trustee of Vikas Foundation as per his assets disclosure. It is now being alleged on social media that funds from this trust have been used to purchase residential property in the United States, where their daughter reportedly stayed while pursuing her LLM studies,” she said.
While seeking clarification from Dharmendra on these issues, Deo further alleged that a local guardian of his daughter was associated with the CBSE evaluation process, the vulnerabilities of which were exposed by an ethical hacker.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty further asked: “Shouldn’t Dharmendra Pradhan answer whether the ownership of the Vikas Foundation Trust lies with Mridula Pradhan? … Shouldn’t he clarify if Naimisha Pradhan … was meeting with individuals from the education industry while she was staying in a house in Melrose during her LLM studies? Was Coempt EduTek director Radhakrishnan Jayaraman not named as her local guardian?”
The Union Minister must explain why numerous changes were made to the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents issued between May and August 2025, allegedly to benefit Coempt Edu Teck, he added.
The allegations come against the backdrop of widespread outrage over the NEET paper leak, which led to the cancellation of the exam and demands for accountability from the Education Ministry, followed by criticism over glitches in the CBSE’s new On-Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation system for Class 12 exams.
BJD leaders have previously criticised Dharmendra for allegedly focusing more on Odisha politics than on his ministerial duties, contributing to lapses in examination integrity.Odisha Cricket merchandise.
Defence and Rebuttals
There has been no immediate response from Dharmendra Pradhan himself to the latest claims. However, BJP leaders have strongly rejected the allegations as baseless and part of a politically-motivated misinformation campaign.
Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling stated that social media handles, including one reportedly operated from Croatia (“McLeanToQuantico”), have been circulating unverified claims linking Prof Radhakrishnan Jayaraman to a US property and alleging he acted as local guardian to Dharmendra’s daughter.
Mahaling emphasised that no credible evidence supports these assertions and described them as a deliberate effort to tarnish the minister’s reputation. “Truth and facts will always prevail over propaganda. The people of Odisha have consistently stood by truth and integrity, and they will not be misled by politically motivated misinformation,” he added.
In a video statement, Prof Jayaraman also firmly denied the allegations, clarifying that he has neither travelled to Melrose nor owned property there. He further stated that he has never met the Union Minister nor his family members. “My name was dragged into this simply because I am a director at Coempt Edu Teck,” he said, calling the claims entirely baseless. He urged the individual responsible to immediately withdraw the “irresponsible” post and called on the government to take strict action against those misusing social media for personal gain. Additionally, he emphasised the need to support and nurture the country’s MSMEs to help them scale and compete with larger corporations.
State BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal also posted in Dharmendra’s defence on Facebook. “It is being falsely circulated on social media that a house owned by Rajendra Mohapatra in Melrose, USA, is linked to Union Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. Available records indicate that this Rajendra Mohapatra, whose wife is Komal Mohapatra, has no public or private family connection with Shri Pradhan or his family. The couple has been residing and conducting business in the USA for several years. A different individual, Rajendra Kumar Mohapatra of Manikamara, Dharmpur, Talcher, Angul, Odisha, whose wife is Aarti Mohapatra, is known to Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and his family. However, he is a separate individual altogether and has no connection with the property in question. He has never travelled to the USA, and no available records establish any link between him and the Melrose-based couple,” he said.
Biswal further stated that cross-verification of available records does not establish any family, financial, or personal connection between these two individuals. “Merely sharing a common first name and surname, which are fairly common in Odisha, cannot be treated as evidence of any familial relationship. It is unfortunate that certain individuals, social media handles, and sections of the media are circulating unverified and false narratives to tarnish the image and reputation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and his family for vested political interests,” he noted.
“The individual operating the “McLeanToQuantico” account from Croatia appears to be actively spreading misinformation and falsehoods in an attempt to mislead the public. Facts, records, and documentary evidence must prevail over politically motivated disinformation,” he added.
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik also defended Dharmendra, highlighting his dedication to promoting Odia culture and pride, and termed the personal attacks on him and his family as “highly condemnable.” He noted the public’s continued faith in the minister’s transparent leadership.
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