New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party alleged a 40 per cent commission was taken in the printing of free textbooks for Delhi government school students, claiming books were printed on substandard paper.
The BJP rejected the charge, saying the textbooks have been in supply for the past two years.
Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday alleged that textbooks printed for classes 1-8 students did not meet the specifications mentioned in the tender and demanded that Education Minister Ashish Sood explain who was responsible for the “irregularities”.
The AAP leader claimed that the tender for textbooks specified A4-size paper of 80 GSM, but the books supplied by the government were printed on 60 GSM paper.
Bharadwaj compared a government-printed copy of the Class 8 NCERT textbook ‘Malhar’ with one purchased from a private bookstore, claiming the former had thinner, greyish paper and smaller print, making it difficult for students to read.
He alleged that the difference in paper quality and book size pointed to irregularities in the procurement process. He also claimed that the difference in costs between the two books was at least 40 per cent.
Bharadwaj further alleged that the textbook issue followed other cases of corruption involving the health department, bicycles supplied to students, rice procurement and Delhi Jal Board tenders.
The AAP leader questioned Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Sood over “commissions” received in the textbook printing process.
Responding to the allegations on Friday, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor accused the AAP of making “politically motivated” charges and said the previous AAP government led by Arvind Kejriwal had failed to ensure timely textbook supplies to students.
Kapoor claimed that during Kejriwal’s 11-year tenure, entire academic sessions went by without textbooks reaching students, and said the issue had repeatedly reached courts, with the education department facing criticism over the shortages.
He said the BJP government, instead, had ensured regular textbook supplies over the past two years and accused Bharadwaj of repeating the same 40 per cent commission allegation that he had earlier levelled over the supply of bicycles to girl students.
The BJP spokesperson also alleged that the AAP was targeting the Delhi government to divert attention from the failures of its government in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections there. PTI SHB SHB SKY
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