Delhi textbook procurement dispute erupts between AAP and BJP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Delhi government of corruption regarding the printing of textbooks for government schools. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the current administration, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has compromised on quality to facilitate a 40 percent commission scam. Bharadwaj claimed that while tenders specified 80 GSM paper and A4 size, the distributed books use inferior 60 to 65 GSM paper and are smaller than standard NCERT textbooks, potentially causing reading difficulties for students.

In response, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood denied the allegations, accusing AAP leaders of engaging in “hoot and shoot” politics. Sood presented work orders and measuring tools to journalists, asserting that the current government has actually reduced textbook costs. He claimed the Class 8 Hindi textbook ‘Malhar’ is now procured for Rs 28.61, compared to Rs 55 under the previous AAP administration. Sood also released documents from 2023 to argue that the previous regime’s education secretary had raised concerns about poor printing quality during AAP's tenure.