Kejriwal invites teachers for oath ceremony; BJP calls it ‘Tughlaqi farmaan’

New Delhi, February 15

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday said the Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) had “invited” the teachers and principals of schools to the swearing-in ceremony of Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet at the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, saying the educators had been the architect of Delhi’s transformation in the past five years.

This has, however, come in for a sharp criticism from the BJP, which has termed it as as a “Tughlaqi farmaan”.

While the circular of the DoE says the Head of Schools are “invited” to attend the ceremony along with 20 others, including vice principals, Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum Coordinators, Happiness Coordinators and Teacher Development Coordinators.

However, BJP leader and newly elected MLA Vijender Gupta called it a “Tughlaqi farmaan” and on Saturday wrote a letter to Kejriwal, asking him to roll back the order.

Gupta, in the letter, asked Kejriwal to withdraw the “Tughlaqi farmaan” to the teachers and officials, saying it was a “sheer misuse of government machinery to meet political ends”.

“Education cannot be employed as a tool to launch one’s political ambitions. Moreover, in a democracy, issuing such orders goes against an individual’s right,” Gupta wrote.

Reacting to it, AAP leader Jasmine Shah tweeted: “Delhi’s teachers and principals are the architects of Delhi’s transformation in the past five years. They deserve to be invited to the swearing-in at Ramlila Maidan tomorrow. When did BJP last think of teachers to be at the centre of your ‘vikas’ model? Never did, never will.”

The AAP has invited everyone in Delhi for the swearing-in, including the Prime Minister and his cabinet, BJP MLAs and BJP MPs. IANS