Congress condemns govt over private school fee hike, mohalla clinic layoffs

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Devender Yadav on Thursday criticised the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi, calling it a failure as it nears 100 days in office.

He alleged the government has failed to protect parents and healthcare workers, citing two major developments — the Delhi High Court’s direction on a school fee hike and the mass termination of Mohalla Clinic employees.

Yadav slammed the Delhi Government for its inaction in the case of Delhi Public School, Dwarka, where the High Court directed parents to pay 50 per cent of the hiked fees. “This is a direct result of the government not issuing any order to stop the hike. It raises serious questions about its collusion with private schools,” he said.

He questioned the government’s claims of having audited all private schools. “If an audit was done, why didn’t the government order a rollback of the fee hike?” he asked.

In another sharp criticism, Yadav condemned the termination of nearly 2,000 employees from the Mohalla Clinic network, calling the move “illegal and unjust.” He said 1,500 nurses, pharmacists and support staff, along with 500 doctors, are on the verge of losing their jobs, many of whom have been on a hunger strike over unpaid wages.

“The government is forcing these employees to sign ‘no dues’ forms, clearly indicating plans to remove them. It is shameful that people providing vital healthcare are being discarded like this,” Yadav said, adding that the promise of future jobs under the yet-to-be-formed Ayushman Mandir initiative is meaningless when immediate livelihoods are being destroyed.