PM doesn't understand importance of education: Sisodia

Jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia has written a letter addressing the people of the country, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not understand the importance of education.

Hitting back, the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that Sisodia has lost his political relevance after being "submerged in corruption" and was trying to remain in the news through his "letter game".

Sisodia had earlier too written letters from jail.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had on February 26 arrested him in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

In the letter which was posted on Twitter by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former deputy said, "It is very dangerous for the country if the prime minister is less educated."

"(Narendra) Modi does not understand science... Modi ji does not understand the importance of education," Sisodia claimed in the letter, alleging that 60,000 schools have been closed in the country in the last few years.

"It is necessary to have an educated prime minister for the progress of India," he said.

In an attack on Modi, the hand-written letter, purportedly of Sisodia, asked if a "less educated" prime minister is "capable" of fulfilling the dreams of the aspirational youth of the country.

"Youth are aspirational. They want to do something, they want to win the world. They want to do wonders in the field of science and technology," the letter said.

Hitting back at the AAP leader, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, "Before asking about the educational qualification of others, Sisodia should tell what is his own educational qualification."

Sachdeva also claimed that Delhi government schools' performance took a plunge when Sisodia was the education minister.

"For eight years Sisodia worked on schools as an event manager and not as the education minister of Delhi. As a result, now up to 40 per cent of students in government schools either fail in classes 9 and 11 or appear in compartment exams. Class 10 and class 12 students are also in disarray," alleged the Delhi BJP president.

The reason behind it is that instead of improving the education standards by appointing teachers, Sisodia focused on conducting happiness classes like an event manager. He wasted money and resources by appointing his party workers as school managers instead of bringing in principals, Sachdeva alleged.