AAP, BJP slugfest on computer labs in govt schools

AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized BJP's claims of non-functional computer labs in Delhi schools, calling it a "desperate lie" amid a corruption suspicion.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj launched a fresh attack on the BJP-led Delhi government during a press conference and slammed education minister Ashish Sood’s remarks on “non-functional computer labs in Delhi government schools” as a “desperate lie,” suggesting the BJP was either defaming the previous government or laying ground for a procurement scam.

Delhi minister Ashish Sood. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Hitting back, Sood said that the Delhi BJP government had already announced the establishment of 175 new computer labs and smart classrooms in its budget speech and that the AAP’s claim of corruption was baseless. “The AAP did not raise any concern then, when in the budget speech, chief minister Rekha Gupta had announced that new ICT labs are going to be set up,” Sood said.

He added, “Why does the AAP not want to talk about how only 799 classrooms had smartboards and rest of the classrooms in Delhi government schools were neglected?”

Bharadwaj said that Sood’s claim—that the AAP government left no working computer labs in schools—had been debunked after AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar filmed students using functioning computers during a surprise inspection.

Bharadwaj questioned the minister’s motives and said, “I kept wondering what Ashish Sood gains from such a statement. Could this be part of a larger corruption plan? Could they be falsely declaring all computers non-functional to justify buying new ones? That’s what the minister has claimed—that none of the computers installed by the previous government is working. So if all are broken, what happens next?”

“If no labs are working, why hasn’t Ashish Sood ordered an investigation? BJP’s only agenda is to defame the previous government,” Bharadwaj said. “Ashish Sood claimed not a single computer lab was functional under the AAP, but our MLA found students learning on fully operational systems. If that’s true, why hasn’t he launched an inquiry?” he added.

Bharadwaj claimed that footage from a government school in New Kondli showed students using the labs, contradicting Sood’s statement. He also said that former education minister Manish Sisodia had visited functional labs in the past, with videos still available online.

He also alleged that Kumar was barred from inspecting a second school after the principal cited education department orders blocking MLAs from entering labs without written permission, claimed Bharadwaj. “They are scared AAP MLAs will record videos of working computers and expose the truth,” he said.