AAP slams BJP-led Delhi Govt over ‘inaction’ on fee hike by pvt schools

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP-led Delhi Government of shielding private schools despite mounting complaints of illegal fee hikes and harassment of students. Addressing a press conference on Friday, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the government was only indulging in “lip service”, and had failed to take concrete action.

“The government is not protecting the interests of students or parents — it is protecting private school managements,” said Bharadwaj.

He said Bharat Arora, president of the Action Committee for Private Unaided Schools, held a key post in the Delhi BJP, which, he claimed, explained the government’s silence.

“When the private school lobby and the ruling party are one and the same, what action can you expect?” he said.

Bharadwaj said the issue began around March 20, when students of Delhi Public School, Dwarka, were allegedly confined to the library for the non-payment of increased fees. “They were not allowed to attend classes or use the toilets freely. Parents protested, filed complaints with the Education Department, and even emailed the Chief Minister and Education Minister — but received no response,” he said.

Only after public pressure, he said, did the government set up a committee under the District Magistrate on April 3 to investigate.

Bharadwaj claimed that when the DM’s team visited the school, students were still confined to the library.

“Despite this clear evidence of harassment, no FIR was filed against the principal. The government had no intention to act,” he said.

He added that parents had to approach the High Court themselves due to “government inaction”.

“The court questioned the government on why no FIR was filed, and expressed displeasure at the delay. Issuing a show-cause notice after three weeks is not action — it’s an excuse,” said Bharadwaj.

Bharadwaj also questioned Education Minister Ashish Sood’s claim that audits of 650 private schools had been completed in just 10 days.

“Where are the audit reports? Were any of these schools asked to roll back fee hikes or refund parents? If yes, show us just one such order,” he said. “They haven’t even appointed auditors. This is nothing but theatrics.”

He questioned why the DM’s report on DPS, Dwarka, was silent on the issue of fee hikes, saying, “The report mentions harassment but skips over the main issue — unauthorised fee hikes. No audit was conducted. Why?”

Bharadwaj accused Sood of lying in official press conferences and misrepresenting court proceedings.

“You cannot twist court remarks to suit your narrative. That amounts to contempt,” he said.

He demanded that the BJP-led government stop misleading the public and answer why no action had been taken against schools exploiting parents and students.

“This government is pretending to act, but, in reality, it is complicit,” said Bharadwaj.

Delhi