'Didn't mean to 'upset' Assam CM', says Kejriwal over debate on education system

|HT|

At a time when Delhi's AAP government is on the radar of the CBI in the alleged liquor scam case, with Delhi deputy minister Manish Sisodia being named as the prime accused, Kejriwal and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma got engaged in a Twitter spat over the education system. While Sarma said Kejriwal skipped 'homework' before commenting, Kejriwal said he didn't mean to 'upset' Sarma.

The debate started based on a report that the Assam government has decided to shut down around 34 schools where class 10 students failed. Reacting to the report, Kejriwal recently said on Twitter that shutting the schools is not a solution. "The country needs many more new schools all over the country. Instead of shutting them, improve the schools," Kejriwal tweeted.

Assam chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma replied to the comment and said Kejriwal's remarks came "without any homework". Stepping up the attack on Kejriwal, Himanta Biswa said since his days as the education minister, the Assam government has established 8,610 new schools. Asking Kejriwal the figure of new schools that he started in Delhi, Himanta said he is 'curious' to know the figure.

Kejriwal replied to Himanta and said he did not want to 'fault' him. "We are all in one country. We have to learn from each other. Only then India will become the No. 1 country," Kejriwal said.

"I will come to Assam. Give me a date when I can come to Assam to witness the good work in education being done in the state. You also come to Delhi -- I will show you what we have done," Kejriwal tweeted.

The war of words escalated with BJP's Amit Malviya joining the debate. "No one can take offence to what Kejriwal says as he knows nothing. You don't even know how many liquor shops have been opened or how much the Delhi government lost because of the liquor policy or how much the sellers profited or how much bribe you took," Malviya tweeted.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)