Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday hit out at BJP working president JP Nadda for his distasteful comments on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), stating that he is ridiculing the 'mandate' of Delhiites and the Kejriwal model of governance.
"The BJP's working president is ridiculing the people of Delhi in a way. By calling the choice made by the people of Delhi a subject of ridicule. I want to remind him about what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his maiden speech in the new Lok Sabha. He said that when some people make fun of his elected government, they are making fun of the people of the country. Perhaps Nadda ji's views differ from the Prime Minister's," Manish Sisodia said at a press conference here.
According to a media report, Nadda said at a BJP meeting that AAP had become a "laughing stock".
Attacking Nadda for mocking an elected government, Sisodia said, "You are actually ridiculing the Kejriwal model of governance, the Kejriwal model of education. Your party has state governments in most states in the country, some for several decades. Let's compare the work done by your party in any state in education with the Kejriwal education model."
Taking the comparison of education policy further, Sisodia said, "Delhi schools posted the best result in Delhi's history this year with 94 per cent pass rate. What is the best result in your states? Delhi has the highest proportion of the Budget at 26 per cent for education, do any of your states have such a high allocation for education? Show us even one state run by the BJP where the school infrastructure has been developed which can be compared with the Kejriwal model."
Sisodia said children from neighbouring states are travelling to Delhi to study in the government schools here.
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"Children from Gurgaon, Noida, Loni, Ghaziabad are travelling to Delhi to study in our government schools because BJP governments have failed at improving government schools. Is it a "joke" that Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party government has successfully regulated private school fees, and the CM of a neighbouring state had recently said private school fees can't be controlled? Is it a joke that Delhi has 25 per cent budget for education? Or that Delhi school teachers go abroad for training?" he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister challenged Nadda and BJP leader Vijay Goel to choose top 10 government schools of the BJP's education model from any BJP-ruled state.
"I challenge JP Nadda sahab and Vijay Goel sahab to choose top 10 government schools of the BJP's education model from any BJP state. I will choose the top 10 government schools of the Kejriwal education model. I will visit your schools and you can visit ours. Let's then debate. Tell me the place and date, I will be there to visit your top 10 schools. You want to make fun of Arvind Kejriwal? Stand in the Delhi government schools and then make fun of him. You'll be ridiculing the children of Delhi, the teachers of Delhi," he said.
"I can count the BJP states right now where government schools have been shut down, from Uttarakhand to Maharashtra. You have a government in Maharashtra, your government is in UP, you have a government in Haryana, Nadda sahab is from Himachal Pradesh. Pick any 10 government schools from these states, which can compete with the government schools of the Kejriwal model, then we can debate," he added.
The education minister concluded saying: "At least Kejriwal's education model is inciting laughter from you.