AAP rejects BJP's claims on notices issued to Sisodia in classroom 'scam'

Delhi BJP leaders Wednesday claimed that former AAP ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain have been issued notices by the Lokayukta in an alleged classroom construction scam.

However, there was no immediate confirmation from the Lokayukta office regarding the claimed notices.

The Aam Aadmi Party also called the BJP leaders' claims "defamatory" and said they were intended to "maliciously tarnish" the "worldwide highly appreciated" Delhi education model and the goodwill of senior leaders.

In a statement, the Delhi BJP welcomed the "issuance of notices" to Sisodia and Jain in the alleged classroom scam, a complaint about which was filed by North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said former ministers Sisodia and Jain will soon face trial in this alleged scam.

Sisodia, former Deputy CM and education minister in the Kejriwal government, is currently in jail in connection with a case related to alleged irregularities in implementation of Delhi government's excise policy 2021-22.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case in May 2022. He is out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court on medical grounds.

Delhi BJP president Sachdeva said the Lokayukta in his order on the complaint of Manoj Tiwari has found a prima facie case against Sisodia and Jain and thus issued notices to them.

In his complaint before the Lokayukta, Tiwari has alleged that the two ministers "misused their administrative position" and got a Rs 989-crore classroom project broken down in 16 tenders of less then Rs 100 crores each for clearance at their own level, said the Delhi BJP statement.

The BJP leaders alleged that the classroom "scam" is the first major "scam" of the Kejriwal government which got exposed in 2016-17 itself, it said.

Tiwari said that in 2015 the Delhi government conducted a survey of classroom shortage in government schools and in 2016 brought a priority proposal to build 7,180 classrooms in 205 schools at the cost of Rs 989 crores.

The AAP said exhaustive investigations for "staggering" nine years have yielded not a single rupee of corruption in the matter.

"They can probe us endlessly; the truth remains unshaken," said the party, asserting education is the first and foremost focus of its government in Delhi.

The BJP relentlessly attempts to "obstruct and impede" the crucial work and trying to jeopardise the future of the students, by such repeated obstructions, the AAP alleged.

"We challenge the BJP to come out with a list of 10 schools in BJP-ruled states which could be compared with those run by the Delhi government in terms of quality," it said.

Despite such relentless hindrances, the AAP government is unwaveringly committed to ensuring quality education for every child in Delhi, asserted the party.