Delhi education minister slams Kejriwal over 'teachers counting dogs' claim
Expresses 'deep concern' over Kejriwal’s public allegation; dismissing the charge as false
Delhi Home Education Minister Ashish Sood has written to the former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of making “wrong and misleading” statements regarding the deployment of government school teachers in the national capital.
In an official letter dated January 5, Sood expressed “deep concern” over Kejriwal’s public allegation that teachers were being assigned duties related to the counting of stray dogs. Dismissing the charge as false, the minister said the government circular on the issue is already in the public domain and contains no such directive.
Sood maintained that given Kejriwal’s administrative background and his tenure as Chief Minister, the remarks could not be passed off as a misunderstanding. He alleged that the statements appeared to be a deliberate attempt to derail the smooth implementation of an important public safety initiative.
Reiterating his stand, Sood said he had publicly challenged the claim. “I had clearly stated in my press conference that if anywhere in this circular it is mentioned that the Delhi government deployed teachers to count dogs, then you may mark it and show it to me and I will apologize to the Education Minister. Otherwise, Arvind Kejriwal ji should apologize,” Sood said.
The minister added that following his clarification, leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party stopped raising the issue. “After that day, Aam Aadmi Party leaders stopped talking about counting dogs. We will not allow the irresponsible behavior of Arvind Kejriwal making false statements and escaping,” he said.
Sood further accused the Aam Aadmi Party of indulging in what he described as “shoot and scoot” politics, alleging that such conduct creates unnecessary turmoil, undermines public confidence and disrupts governance.
Emphasising his responsibility as Education Minister, Sood said he would not allow political misinformation to interfere with the welfare of children or the functioning of schools and reiterated his demand that Kejriwal should issue a public apology to the people of Delhi for spreading misinformation.
