The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Delhi government, calling it out for deliberately shielding private schools despite serious complaints of fee hikes and student harassment. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the government is only pretending to take action while actually shielding those responsible.
The senior AAP leader pointed out that Bharat Arora, President of a private schools association, holds a senior position in Delhi BJP, which explains the inaction. He highlighted that parents had to approach the High Court themselves after the government failed to respond. He also questioned Education Minister Ashish Sood’s claim that 650 school audits were completed in 10 days, calling it completely baseless. “This isn’t governance—it’s theatre,” he said.
During a press conference, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the Education Minister for misrepresenting facts in a press conference. He stated, “The Delhi Government’s Education Minister held a press conference yesterday and made certain statements that were untrue. He even went so far as to manipulate High Court proceedings to fit his narrative, which in itself amounts to contempt of court. One cannot misinterpret court proceedings and present them falsely — that is a criminal offence.”
He explained the issue of harassment faced by children in a private school saying, “The matter goes back to around 20th March, when students at DPS Dwarka were being harassed. The children whose parents had not paid the increased fees were kept confined to the library, not allowed to attend their classes. Even their access to toilets was monitored. This pattern continued for days.”
“Parents of students from DPS and several other schools were staging protests. They had submitted written complaints to the Delhi Government. Despite visiting various branches of the Department of Education, no action was taken. Emails were sent to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister — still no action. This problem has been continuing from 15th or 20th March,” added Saurabh Bhardwaj.
The AAP Delhi State President pointed out that only after public pressure did the Delhi Government show urgency. He said, “When we raised our voice and held press conferences, a committee under the District Magistrate was hastily formed on 3rd April. And what task was assigned to that committee? It was clearly stated that the committee was to investigate complaints regarding fee irregularities, unauthorised fee hikes, and harassment of parents and students. This was the DM’s job.”
He revealed what the committee found when it visited the school, stating “When the DM’s committee reached the school, the children were still found sitting inside the library. They told the committee themselves that they had been sitting there since 20th March. The DM noted this as harassment in the report.”
However, he added that the report that was supposed to audit the unauthorised fee hikes is completely silent on the issue. Even in the High Court proceedings, the DM’s report says nothing about fee hikes. No audit was done. Lies are being spread.
Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the government’s inaction even after receiving the DM’s report. “Despite the DM’s visit on the 3rd, and the report being submitted, there was no change at the school. The children continued to be kept in the library and denied their classes. Parents kept approaching the government but nothing was done. When they were exhausted and the government still didn’t act against DPS Dwarka, the parents finally approached the High Court. It was not the Delhi Government that went to the High Court,” he asserted.
The senior AAP leader challenged the Education Minister’s attempt to take credit for court action, stating, “The minister should not falsely claim credit. If Ashish Sood believes the government went to court, let him show the papers and we’ll accept it. But the truth is — the government did not approach the High Court. It was the parents who went, and why? Because the government failed to act, even after receiving the DM’s report.”
“The court asked the government — what action did you take? The government replied, ‘We have issued a show-cause notice.’ The judge smiled. The court said — the children have been harassed since 20th March, parents have been protesting, the DM committee was formed on the 3rd, and the matter came to court on the 16th — and you are still issuing a show-cause notice? The court remarked that you are giving the school more time,” he added.
Saurabh Bharadwaj further added, “When the DM had already visited and seen children sitting in the library, why were they not immediately sent back to their classes? What action did the DM take? The government had no answer.”
He questioned why no FIR was filed despite clear evidence of harassment, stating, “The court further asked — when it was clear the children were being mistreated, why didn’t you file an FIR against the principal? The government had no answer. Because the government had no intention of taking action against DPS or similar schools.”
Saurabh Bhardwaj questioned why the government was silent. He said, “Because almost 90–95% of the parents had already paid the increased fees — in fact, one could say nearly 99% had done so. The remaining 1% could be dealt with slowly. That’s why the government remained quiet, satisfied with issuing a show-cause notice.”
He called out the Education Minister of lying in a government press conference. “One more lie was told yesterday. How can a minister lie so blatantly in a government press conference? And why aren’t his lies being questioned? The minister claimed that audits had been conducted for 650 schools. Is that even possible,” questioned the senior AAP leader.
Saurabh Bharadwaj rubbished the claim about auditing hundreds of schools in days, stating, “Can 650 schools be audited within 10 days? This is a lie. The government hasn’t even appointed auditors.I f they have, let them show the order. Show us the official order appointing the auditors, the audits conducted by them, and the audit reports.”
Referring to a previous press conference, he said, “On 7 April, the government had publicly announced that within ten days, they would complete all the audits and upload the reports on the website. Today is 18 April—11 days have passed. Has anything been uploaded? They had said every school’s report would be put up, especially which schools had increased fees. Has that been done? Why not?”
He continued, “If the government itself is claiming that audits have been done, then why not upload the reports? Even the court has ordered that the audit reports must be uploaded on the website. Why haven’t they done it?”
Demanding accountability, the senior AAP leader said, “If 650 schools have been audited, the Education Minister should clarify how many of them increased fees just to earn profits, and how many did it genuinely due to rising expenses.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “The truth is, the government hasn’t conducted any audits. They’re lying.” He challenged the Education Minister, “You claim that 650 schools have been audited. Can Ashish Sood name even one school that was ordered to roll back the fee hike and refund the excess amount to parents? If 650 audits were really done, surely at least one school was found at fault?”
“Just one school must’ve been pulled up for profiteering—for increasing fees unlawfully. Was any school ordered to refund the fees to parents? If there’s even one such order, let Ashish Sood show it. I’m not asking for 650 orders—just one,” stated the senior AAP leader. He added sharply, “The government has done absolutely nothing. This is pure theatrics.”
Explaining why there’s no action, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Why is the government pretending to act? Because the president of the Action Committee for Private Recognised Unaided Schools, Bharat Arora, is also a member of BJP’s Delhi Executive Committee. He heads their academic cell. There are dozens of photos of him campaigning for BJP leader Rekha Gupta.”
“So when the private school association and the ruling party are one, what action can you expect? They are hand-in-glove. That’s why there’s no crackdown—only drama,” he remarked.
On the judiciary stepping in and the government’s false credit-taking, Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “What’s most unfortunate is that when parents received no help from the government, they had to approach the High Court. And the High Court scolded both the government and the schools. Yet the government is shamelessly trying to take credit for it.”
He added, “This is deeply disappointing. I hope the BJP government will answer these questions honestly.”
