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‘BJP a party of illiterates’: Manish Sisodia blasts Centre amid lens on Delhi govt schools
Manish Sisodia, who is also the education minister, said Delhi's government schools are beyond several private ones, adding the BJP should investigate why so many government schools in their rule have shut down.
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday hit out at the BJP-led central government amid reports that Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has sought a report from the chief secretary over a delay of more than two years in acting on a CVC report on an inquiry into construction of additional classrooms in government schools.
Addressing a press briefing of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Sisodia, who is also the education minister, said Delhi's government schools are beyond several private ones. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a party of illiterates and its leadership wants the country to remain that way.
“This (BJP) is a party of illiterates and wants to keep country illiterate. In their own states, they've shut down several government schools. They should investigate why so many government schools in their rule have shut down,” Sisodia said at the briefing.
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He said the BJP raked the issue of Delhi government schools after it failed to find anything in excise policy investigation as part of which raids were conducted at Sisodia's home.
“They raided CM's office, then mine four years ago. They registered cases against 40 MLAs, didn't find anything. Then sent CBI to my house in fake excise policy case, realized they will not find anything. So they've started something new now, on schools made,” he further said.
The BJP has said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government in Delhi has opened more liquor stores in the national capital than schools and hospitals.
The latest row has intensified ever since the New York Times did a frontpage article on the successful education model in Delhi that the BJP alleged was a "paid news item".
Meanwhile, the LG's office has returned 47 files signed by the CMO staff instead of Kejriwal – a move that is likely to intensify the tussle between the two constitutional authorities in the national capital.
The development came about a week after Saxena wrote to Kejriwal, pointing out that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) was forwarding files seeking opinion and approvals to the LG Secretariat without his signatures.
The files returned by the LG Secretariat included those related to the education department among others, according to reports.
