Parents Question Fee Hikes at Town Hall, Education Minister Loses Temper: Saurabh Bhardwaj

Delhi’s Education Minister Ashish Sood lost his temper during a town hall in Janakpuri when parents of private school students raised questions about school fee hikes. The BJP government has been claiming that the school fees law protects parents, but when the issue was raised, the minister reportedly told parents that they could leave if they wanted. A video of the incident was shared on social media by Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bhardwaj and former Education Minister Manish Sisodia, who criticized the BJP government sharply.

Parents Insulted by Education Minister

Manish Sisodia stated that parents of children studying in private schools in Delhi were heavily insulted by the Delhi Education Minister. He said, “If anyone still believes that the BJP will not ruin their children’s future, they must watch this video. First, the BJP brings a black law favoring private schools that exploits parents, and when these same parents raise questions about their rights, they are called to the Minister’s house and insulted. Witnessing the future of Delhi’s children being handled by such a government and education minister breaks my heart.”

Town Hall Turns Into a Platform for Intimidation

At the AAP headquarters, Saurabh Bhardwaj, along with MLA Sanjeev Jha, held a press conference stating that a few days ago, Education Minister Ashish Sood had organized a town hall meeting in his Janakpuri constituency, claiming it would involve a dialogue with parents about the school fees law and answer their questions. The AAP had already tweeted a day earlier that this was merely a publicity stunt. Parents were not being invited genuinely; people were called just to create a show. During the press conference, Bhardwaj showed a video of the town hall, highlighting that when real parents attempted to ask questions, the Education Minister tried to intimidate them.

Parents Threatened and Silenced

Saurabh Bhardwaj said that when parents asked questions, Ashish Sood told them to submit them in writing. “Not a single question has ever been answered in writing by Ashish Sood. In the town hall, parents were intimidated, and their phones were forcibly turned off. Police officers were present, preventing any parent from recording. Is this how a minister should behave? Ashish Sood says, ‘I arranged the stage, I am feeding people, so I will do the publicity too, not you.’ Are such people worthy of being ministers in Delhi, especially education ministers? It seems Ashish Sood himself needs education. Such language and intimidation are shameful. Delhi has never seen this attitude before. The BJP government is showing outright hooliganism and tyranny, crushing the middle class,” Bhardwaj added.

He also shared a video clip of the town hall on X, saying that it showed the Education Minister losing his temper at parents’ questions. “The very purpose of a town hall is to answer questions, but here people were called only to hear a speech. This school fees law has been designed for school owners, legally sanctioning the exploitation of parents. Private schools have raised fees arbitrarily since the BJP came to power. They claimed they would introduce the law but did not consult any parents’ body or conduct public consultation,” he said.

AAP’s Opposition to the School Fees Bill

Meanwhile, AAP Chief Whip Sanjeev Jha said that when the school fees bill came to the assembly, the AAP strongly opposed it and proposed several amendments. “We suggested how the bill could be in the public interest. We requested a division of votes to see how many people were actually standing with the education mafia. Unfortunately, the entire government sided with the education mafia and passed the bill, ignoring AAP’s amendments. This bill exploits parents,” he said. Sanjeev Jha further stated, “I believe this may be the only bill in the country that denies parents the right to even approach the courts. Filing complaints against schools is already extremely difficult, requiring 15 parents. Parents suggested including representatives in the committee based on association votes, but the BJP government ignored all our suggestions. The entire power lies only with the Minister and Director of Education. If the Minister becomes the center of exploitation, parents cannot approach the courts. Without an independent body, how can exploitation be stopped? This bill not only enables the exploitation of parents but also protects private schools that continuously increase fees, granting them legal legitimacy.”