GUWAHATI; Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday kick started a controversy when he claimed that results of class 10 exam under the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) has been manipulated since 2001 at the instance of political dispensation.Assam was ruled by Congress from 2001 to 2016.Sarma, in the state assembly, said that while the actual pass percentage stood at 20-22 percent, political masters instructed to manipulate the percentage. The minister defended the evaluation process by teachers."I came to know about the same when SEBA chairman called me up to ask what would be the pass percentage this time. Chairman said it has been a practice to increase the same. I was surprised."He said, "Teachers evaluate the answer scripts and gives deserving marks. SEBA in a meeting every year takes a resolution to give grace marks to the students who failed and in the process 22 percent marks becomes 62 percent in the mark sheet."The minister said pass percentage which use to be 25 to 30 percent in 1990s has increased to 60 percent. The government in past wanted to show that increase in the pass percentage so it became a tradition, he added.To bring reform in the education sector, Sarma suggested constitution of the House Committee or a panel of academicians to examine the matter.Sarma was education minister from 2011-13 in Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi 's cabinet and in 2016 he fought election with a BJP ticket.Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora, who was also education minister in past, said that Sarma's statement is rubbish. "There was no political dictate to increase the pass percentage. Let state government initiate probe by any agency to ascertain if there was any political interference.Sarma must resign if he cannot prove the allegation."Earlier, former CM Tarun Gogoi had claimed credit for significant increase in the pass percentage.