After Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticized Gujarat government for neglecting schools in the state, education has emerged as one of the fiery issues for this year’s Assembly elections. Yesterday, a 17-member Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation from Gujarat reached Delhi for a 2-day visit. During this visit, the delegation took a tour of the schools in Arvind Kejriwal’s state and review the education system here.
Gujarat vice-president Virender Sachdeva, earlier, had said that the delegation will expose the truth about AAP’s claims that it had transformed the education system in Delhi. The BJP media conveyer said that the delegation had visited a few schools and a mohalla clinic here. Apparently, the BJP delegation during its tour of the schools in the region was extremely dissatisfied with the condition. In a tweet, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said, “The Gujarat BJP delegation was disappointed to see the plight of Delhi government schools, mohalla clinics, and slum areas. State President Adesh Gupta and Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri felicitated the delegation in the BJP office.”
However, this tweet did not have any photos or videos of the delegation’s visit to the schools. The delegation did not share their experience in the state, but Bidhuri only made this comment.
It was in April this year that party leader Manish Sisodia visited several government schools in Bhavnagar and other places and expressed his dismay at their poor condition. Later, in a letter, he invited the BJP to visit Delhi and take a look at the government schools and clinics in the state. He had said that Gujarat government might be able to learn something as the schools in his state have all the needed facilities and more.
When the BJP accepted the invitation and decided to send a team, Sisodia said he would welcome them. In a tweet, he said that AAP had put together a team of 5 members who would show the delegation around the schools and the clinics. To this BJP spokesperson Praveen Shanker had replied that the AAP wanted the delegation to visit just specific places. He said, “Let us visit wherever we want, you want to do a conducted tour in a sanitized environment because you fear it will expose your reality, that you have built only a few schools which you keep on advertising while others are in a dilapidated state.”
AAP is eyeing a win in Gujarat’s Assembly elections, which are scheduled for later this year. As such, the party is campaigning in the state with complete vigour. Kejriwal himself has held several rallies in the state. Sisodia recently said that the AAP will contest all 182 seats there.
