Gambhir Uses Defunct School to Target AAP on Education Front

The Quint saw a notice outside the school stating that it was shifted to SBV JJ Colony on 9 October 2019.

BJP MP Gautam Gambhir shared the video of a non-functional government school in Delhi to attack the AAP government.  

(Photo: The Quint)

From high-pitch poll campaigns to the subsequent war-of-words, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have left no stone unturned to win the confidence of Delhi voters ahead of the Assembly elections on 8 February. And as the election date nears, several BJP MPs have decided to show the ‘reality’ of Delhi schools to the public.

On Monday, 27 January, East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir posted a video of a dilapidated school on his Twitter account and said, “They say fight the election on education, I say fight the election on truth!”

The video was a direct attack to undermine the achievements of the Delhi government on the education front.

The video shows broken taps and defunct toilets to claim that the condition of the school is terrible. However, the AAP government was quick to call Gambhir out for this clip.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, in a press conference, that this school had been shifted to another location about four months ago to construct a new building.

To verify the claims made by both BJP MP Gautam Gambhir and the AAP government, The Quint’s WebQoof Team reached Khichripur area in Delhi.

The video posted by Gambhir is of a school which is situated near Samudaya Bhawan in Khichripur area and has two gates, a front and a back gate.

Notice States School Shifted on 9 October 2019

The video shared by Gambhir was shot at the front gate, on which we saw a notice stating that the school had been shifted to SBV JJ Colony on 9 October 2019.

Left: Front gate of Khichripur school. Right: Public notice stuck at the gate.(Photo: Divya Chandra/The Quint)

The same notice was posted on the back gate of the school.

Left: Back gate of Khichripur school. Right: Public notice stuck at the gate.(Photo: Divya Chandra/The Quint)

We also visited JJ Colony, which is 300 metres away from the earlier location, and where the school has shifted.

We also visited JJ Colony, which is 300 metres away from the earlier location, and where the school currently is.(Photo: Divya Chandra/The Quint)

Speaking to The Quint, Mohammad Salim, a resident of Khichripur, said that the school was shut down on 9 October 2019.

“The children have been shifted to a new school. My daughter is also studying there in Class XI. We have been told that the school will be demolished after the elections.”

Mohammad Salim, Resident, Khichripur

His daughter, Rehnuma, said the students were shifted because the school was in a dilapidated condition.

School ID Numbers Confirm AAP’s Claims

The ID number of Govt Girls/Boys Senior Secondary School in Khichripur, as shown in the image on top left is 1002012 (highlighted in red) is the same as the one seem on the banner of the school located in JJ Colony in Khichripur, as shown in the bottom image (highlighted in red).

The notice mentioned that after being closed, the school will function in the school with the ID number 1002369. The same number can be seen in the below image, on top of which the new banner has been placed.

Top left: Old school. Top right. Public notice at the gate. Bottom: JJ Colony school.(Photo: Divya Chandra/The Quint)

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