‘Want independent education survey’

New Delhi: Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has written to BJP president Amit Shah, seeking a survey by an independent agency to compare the work done in the education sector by the AAP government in Delhi and BJP — ruled states.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta had recently alleged the AAP government’s “tall claims” of working “wonders” in the area of school education in Delhi were “hollow”.

The deputy CM, who also holds the educcation portfolio, said he was”happy” that the BJP, which raised “divisive” issues such as “gau raksha and mandir-masjid”, had been “forced” to talk about education.

“This is good for politics in the country,” he wrote.

Only Delhi spent one-fourth of its budget on education, held elections for school management committees and sent teachers and principals to Singapore and Cambridge, Mr Sisosdia claimed.

He asked Mr Shah to select a state ruled by the BJP for the past 10-15 years so that the work done by it in the field of education could be compared with the achievements of the Aam Admi Party  government in Delhi.

He sought an independent survey of the schools run by the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi.

“Your party has been ruling the municipal corporations for the past 15 years. A survey by an independent agency will tell where they stand,” he wrote.

This “healthy competition” will not only benefit children but other states and political parties will also learn from it and the political discourse will shift from “non issues” to areas like health and education,  he said.