New Delhi [India], June 21 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has declared full support for parents protesting against the fee regulation ordinance pushed through by the BJP to benefit private schools. Calling the ordinance a "loot license" for the education mafia, Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj warned that the move will grant unchecked power to private institutions to exploit parents, AAP said in a press release.
As per the release, on Saturday, parents gathered outside Chhatrasal Stadium to protest against Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, sending a clear message of discontent over the secretly-drafted bill. "In just four months, the BJP's four-engine government has forced Delhi's middle class onto the streets in this sweltering heat," Saurabh Bharadwaj said. "The parents' demand is legitimate. BJP must show some heart and make the bill public."
Sharing a video of protesting parents on social media platform X, senior AAP leader and former Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said, "There is open loot by private schools in Delhi. But instead of acting against them, the BJP is trying to distract from real issues by filing fake FIRs against AAP leaders every day", as per the release.
Echoing the outrage, Bharadwaj said, as per the release, "The BJP government in Delhi has brought this ordinance solely to shield private schools and allow them to act arbitrarily. This ordinance has not even been shown to parents. It was brought in secretly to benefit the education mafia. Now, parents have been forced to take to the streets to wake up the Rekha Gupta government. The mass protests show clearly that parents are not happy with the ordinance brought in by the BJP government for private schools."
As per the release, Bharadwaj further said, "The four-engine BJP government has, in just four months, pushed Delhi's middle class to the streets in the scorching June heat. The same parents are now demanding--'Show some heart, at least show us the bill!' These parents believe that the ordinance being brought by the BJP government will benefit only private school owners. The government will wash its hands of the matter, and fees will keep rising every year."
Saurabh Bharadwaj also alleged an alarming rise in arbitrary fee hikes.
"The moment the BJP government was formed, almost all private schools increased fees at will. Despite repeated complaints, not a single school has rolled back its fees. No FIR has been filed yet even against DPS Dwarka. It is clear that the BJP government is colluding with private school owners," he said, as per the release.