The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, stating that lakhs of children studying in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) schools have been denied money for uniforms, stationery, and school bags even as the academic year draws to a close. AAP’s MCD co-incharge Praveen Kumar said that while examinations will end in February, children are still waiting for the ₹1,670 annual assistance meant for these essentials. Of the ₹109 crore to be transferred to students’ bank accounts, he said, only ₹58 crore has been released so far. He demanded that the remaining amount be credited immediately and that action be taken against officials responsible for withholding the funds.
Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters on Tuesday, AAP’s MCD co-incharge Praveen Kumar said that the BJP talks about making India a “vishwa guru” and earning global recognition in the field of education, but these claims have proved completely hollow on the ground. The reality, he said, is exactly the opposite.
The AAP MCD co-incharge Praveen Kumar added that around 2.30 lakh children study in Delhi’s MCD schools. “The government transfers money to their accounts for uniforms, notebooks, and books, but under BJP rule, this amount has still not been credited to the accounts of these children,” he added.
Giving a detailed breakdown of the figures, Praveen Kumar said that each MCD school student is given ₹1,670 every year, of which ₹1,250 is for uniforms, ₹300 for stationery, and ₹120 for a school bag. The BJP has deprived these children of their rightful dues. It is already February. Examinations will be over in March, and a new academic session will begin in April,” he continued.
“The entire academic year is about to end, yet the money has still not reached the children’s accounts. Why is the BJP behaving this way with Delhi’s poor children? Does the BJP not want poor children to buy notebooks, books, and uniforms?,” he questioned.
The AAP MCD co-incharge said that MCD primary schools (Classes 1 to 5) are attended by children from extremely poor families, whose parents run street carts or work as daily-wage labourers. For them, even this amount of ₹1,650 is very significant. On behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party, he demanded that the money be transferred to children’s accounts immediately.
He further stated, “₹109 crore was to be transferred by the Delhi government through DBT, but according to the data, only ₹58 crore has been transferred so far, and the MCD has kept the remaining money with itself.” The BJP, he said, keeps passing the buck, claiming that it is either the Delhi government’s responsibility or the MCD’s.
“In reality, no one is willing to transfer the money to children’s accounts. The BJP is working to fool the people of the country and cheat children. This arbitrariness of the BJP’s so-called four-engine government will not be tolerated at all, and the Aam Aadmi Party will continue to raise its voice against it,” he asserted.
Praveen Kumar asked the BJP whether the “world guru” dream it shows includes schools and Delhi’s MCD schools or not. lBJP leaders should answer this. Will the next academic year also pass in the same manner, with children continuing to wait for their money?,” he questioned.
“The new session is set to begin in March 2026. Will children once again be forced to plead like this? Under BJP rule, the condition of MCD schools is extremely dilapidated. Visit any school and the condition of toilets and walls is poor. Even today, in many schools, children are forced to sit on mats and study. The BJP must clarify how long this situation in MCD schools will continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, MCD co-incharge Preeti Dogra said that in 2022, when the BJP failed to form a government in the MCD and lost the elections, it disregarded the public mandate and, through political manoeuvring, formed its government in 2025 and took control of the MCD. “Today, the Standing Committee is with the BJP, the BJP has a majority, and the Mayor is also from the BJP,” she added.
“Despite this, lakhs of children studying in MCD schools have still not received the annual ₹1,670 meant for uniforms, stationery, and school bags, even though the academic session has begun and is now about to end,” she continued.
Preeti Dogra said that children from poor and lower-middle-class families study in MCD schools, for whom ₹1,670 is a substantial amount. “Many families in the 2025–26 period have been unable to meet their children’s basic needs because the BJP’s four-engine government in Delhi has completely failed,” she said.
She continued, The BJP wants power, not education. In its lust for power, it has forgotten that these are poor children who cannot afford to study in big private schools and therefore come to MCD schools.”
She demanded that the ₹1,670 amount be released immediately into children’s bank accounts. “Along with this, action must be taken against the officials and representatives due to whom children have not received this amount so far,” she said.
Preeti Dogra concluded by demanding that a committee and a fixed timeline be put in place to ensure that such a problem does not arise again and that every year, before the start of the academic session, children receive the ₹1,670 amount. “This will allow them to focus fully on their studies and help parents meet their children’s basic needs,” she asserted.
