Yadav accuses AAP, BJP of neglecting educational needs of marginalised

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Devender Yadav on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing both parties of neglecting the higher education needs of those from poor and underprivileged families in the national capital.

Yadav said the shortage of colleges, and limited seats in Delhi University, had left students from marginalised communities with no option but to take admission in expensive private universities.

This, he alleged, had denied thousands of capable but economically weak students access to quality education.

“The AAP and the BJP have deliberately allowed private universities to flourish at the cost of poor students. Children from Dalit, backward, and marginalised backgrounds are being pushed out of the system due to the lack of affordable government-run options,” Yadav said.

Talking about the Congress’ regime, Yadav said the party had taken major steps in expanding access to higher education in Delhi, including the expansion of Indraprastha University, the establishment of Ambedkar University, a National Law School, a technical university, and a residential sports university.

“The Congress government set up six new universities and 30 colleges in just 15 years. In contrast, the Kejriwal-led AAP government and, now, the BJP government failed to expand infrastructure, and politicised the education sector,” he said.

Yadav condemned the alleged financial strangulation of 12 Delhi University colleges funded by the Delhi Government during the AAP tenure.

“These colleges couldn’t even pay salaries to staff due to withheld grants. This reckless politicisation has directly impacted the quality of education and the future of countless students,” he added.

Calling for immediate corrective action, the DPCC chief demanded that the government establish more colleges in Delhi’s rural and Trans-Yamuna areas, where, he said, students often lacked access to affordable, quality higher education.