Delhi edu minister raps AAP over stray dog order ‘misinformation’
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Sood asked Kejriwal to tender a public apology to the people of Delhi
New Delhi
Delhi education minister Ashish Sood on Friday hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal for spreading fake news and misinformation that teachers in schools in Delhi were ordered to “count dogs” by the government.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Sood asked Kejriwal to tender a public apology to the people of Delhi for spreading lies and said the government will no longer tolerate this “shoot and scoot” politics, a day after the government filed a complaint on the matter and the police on Friday filed an FIR, but against unnamed persons.
Sood warned of legal action against leaders who make such posts. “Our government is fully committed to ensuring the safety of school campuses in Delhi. Providing quality education to children, and maintaining the harmonious social environment of the capital is our goal, but in contrast, leaders of AAP are indulging in false propaganda and spreading fake news against the Delhi government,” Sood said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) riposte comes after Kejriwal, on Tuesday, posted on X: “Will teachers in Delhi’s government schools teach children, or will they count dogs on the streets instead?”
{{/usCountry}}The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) riposte comes after Kejriwal, on Tuesday, posted on X: “Will teachers in Delhi’s government schools teach children, or will they count dogs on the streets instead?”
{{/usCountry}}Sood also refuted the claim, labelling it “misinformation” and clarifying that the government had not issued such a notice. “It is AAP’s habit to start playing the victim card as soon as legal action is initiated. Once again, they are preparing to do the same...” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Sood also refuted the claim, labelling it “misinformation” and clarifying that the government had not issued such a notice. “It is AAP’s habit to start playing the victim card as soon as legal action is initiated. Once again, they are preparing to do the same...” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Holding a government circular aloft on the matter, Sood said it clearly held security guards, gatekeepers and chowkidars responsible for preventing entry of strays onto school premises.
{{/usCountry}}Holding a government circular aloft on the matter, Sood said it clearly held security guards, gatekeepers and chowkidars responsible for preventing entry of strays onto school premises.
{{/usCountry}}“All school heads and office in-charges have been directed to nominate a nodal officer. The circular also states that the nodal officer will conduct regular inspections to ensure that no stray dogs take shelter on school premises and will inform the local body whenever required. The sole instruction is to appoint a nodal officer to prevent the entry of stray dogs in order to ensure the safety of children…” Sood said.
{{/usCountry}}“All school heads and office in-charges have been directed to nominate a nodal officer. The circular also states that the nodal officer will conduct regular inspections to ensure that no stray dogs take shelter on school premises and will inform the local body whenever required. The sole instruction is to appoint a nodal officer to prevent the entry of stray dogs in order to ensure the safety of children…” Sood said.
{{/usCountry}}He said that awareness sessions will be organised for students, teachers, and non-teaching staff on animal behaviour, first aid in case of dog bites, and reporting procedures.
He also hit out at the AAP for leaving several school building projects incomplete in Delhi and said the Kejriwal-led Delhi government spent ₹20.87 crore on advertisements for the “Happiness Curriculum”, ₹88 crore on the “Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum”, ₹16 crore on programmes under the “Deshbhakti Curriculum”, and more than ₹12 crore solely on publicity and promotion.
“In contrast, we are making concrete improvements in education infrastructure, curriculum, and school campus safety without any noise or publicity...” he said.
In response to Sood, AAP legislators Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar held a press conference sharing two circulars, dated November 20 and December 5, issued by the caretaking branch of Delhi’s directorate of education (DoE) and questioned how they could be issued without the education minister’s direction.
“Were these issued without the minister’s permission? If so, what action will be taken? Such a circular clearly exists, but no one in the government has said they take this circular back. Registering an FIR is only a way to try and scare us,” Jha said.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a post on X, said Sood was trying to threaten and scare AAP volunteers with an FIR. “AAP is not scared of these frivolous cases,” he posted.
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