AAP attacks govt. over ‘fee hikes’; BJP hits back

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday attacked the government over the “fee hike by private schools” and alleged that Education Minister Ashish Sood was “hand in glove with a private school” that allegedly denied admit cards to students to appear for Class 10 and 12 CBSE examinations.

AAP leaders had staged a protest outside the school in Saket on Monday over three students allegedly being denied admit cards to appear for the board exams that commenced on Tuesday over the non-payment of fees. However, Mr. Sood clarified, late at night, that the matter was resolved.

Mr. Bharadwaj alleged that the principal and manager of a private school, which denied admit cards to some students, were on Monday sitting at the Education Minister’s residence with admit cards instead of handing them over to students. “Ashish Sood, who calls himself the guardian of 18 lakh children, should have filed an FIR against the school for withholding admit cards if he truly stood with students. Instead, he said, the government lacked the courage to act,” he said. 

“Such a guardian is disgraceful if a Class 10 daughter has her mathematics exam the next day, and at 9.00 p.m., she and her father are still standing outside the school, wondering whether she will receive her admit card. Who will prepare for the exam? Will Ashish Sood do it, or will BJP Chief Minister Rekha Gupta write the math paper on her behalf?” he asked.

‘Repulsive act’

Delhi BJP media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor criticised Mr. Bharadwaj for burning a newspaper during a press conference on Tuesday. Terming it a “repulsive act”, he said, “For the first time in Delhi’s political history, a party leader publicly burned a newspaper simply because it did not publish news according to his viewpoint.”

He alleged the AAP government has been running an oppressive campaign against the media in Punjab.

“For 11 continuous years, the Arvind Kejriwal government exerted pressure on the media to ensure that the BJP did not get space in news coverage, and today, while in Opposition, AAP leaders are trying to pressure the media by burning newspapers,” he said.