Ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with students here and lambasted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi over its education policy, accusing it of prioritising its image over the future of students.
Modi hit out at the AAP government for allegedly holding back ‘weak’ Class 9 students from proceeding to the next class to safeguard its image.
The Prime Minister alleged that the AAP government allows only those students to go beyond class nine who secure good marks to protect its own image.
In a video featuring an interaction with a group of students, PM Modi shared the ‘dishonest practice’ of the AAP government of ‘punishing’ the weak students by not promoting them to Class 10.
The Prime Minister, who held a free-wheeling interaction with Delhi students, said, “I have heard in Delhi, they ( the AAP government) do not allow children to go further after class 9. Only those children who are guaranteed to pass are allowed to go. Because if their result is bad, their government’s reputation will be ruined. That is why very dishonest work is done.”
PM Modi, in the video released on social media, attacked the much-vaunted education model of the AAP government and raised questions about AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his team ‘playing with the future’ of students, only to mislead the world with its self-boasted world class education model.
The BJP, aiming to end 27 years drought in the power corridors of the capital, has been vying to lure low-income and middle-class voters by unveiling ambitious plans for free education from KG to PG.
The BJP’s Sankalp Patra for the Delhi Assembly elections also promised Rs 15,000 assistance for poor students for undertaking preparation for competitive exams like the Union Public Service Commission and other state civil service exams.
The saffron party has also promised to reimburse two-time travel and application fees for students, calling it a ‘is Modi ki guarantee’.
To woo first-time and young voters, the BJP has also promised to launch Dr B.R. Ambedkar Stipend Scheme of Rs 1,000/month for SC students in ITI, skill centres, and polytechnics.
On Sunday, addressing a massive public meeting in RK Puram here, the Prime Minister said that similar to the change of weather ushered in with the arrival of Basant Panchami, Delhi will herald a “new spring of development.”
“In a few days, a new spring of development will arrive in Delhi. This time, the BJP government is about to form in Delhi. The ‘AAP-da party’ has wasted 11 years. My biggest request is that we should be given a chance to serve the people of Delhi. I promise to go to any length to remove every difficulty you face. A double-engine government will come to Delhi that will make the lives of every poor and middle-class family prosperous,” he said.
Modi also guaranteed Rs 5 nutritious meals for people living in slums and announced the setting up of a welfare board for auto drivers and domestic workers, while assuring that no existing welfare schemes would be discontinued.
“A welfare board will be set up for auto drivers and domestic workers, providing them with insurance coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh. The BJP government will also assist with children’s school fees. I give another guarantee: these AAP-Da people are spreading falsehoods, but not a single slum in Delhi will be demolished. The welfare schemes for the public in Delhi will not be stopped,” the Prime Minister asserted.
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place on February 5 in a single phase, with the counting of votes scheduled for February 8. The national capital is set to witness a triangular contest between the BJP, Congress and AAP.