A day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reiterated the demand for 85% reservation for Delhiites in colleges here, the Communist Part of India (Marxist) on Thursday condemned the “jingoistic demand”.
In a statement by its secretary K.M. Tiwari, the CPI(M) Delhi State Committee said: “Thousands of students from the NCR and also from other States study in the colleges of Delhi. Accepting this demand means that such students will be deprived of the opportunity of getting higher education in the Capital.”
Mr. Kejriwal was addressing an AAP rally in Kondli on Wednesday evening when he repeated the demand, which AAP has made a central part of its Lok Sabha election campaign. Mr. Kejriwal said if Delhi becomes a full state, the government will give 85% reservation to those students who complete their school education from Delhi when it comes to admission in Delhi colleges.
Jingoistic demand
“This jingoistic demand has been pushed time and again by other ruling class parties such as the Congress and the BJP as well. However, the fundamental issue is the fact that successive State and Central governments have failed to open any new college in the Capital in the last three decades,” the CPI(M) statement read.
‘Divisive tactics’
The CPI(M) added that though the AAP government in Delhi had done “commendable work” in the school education sector, it “has failed completely in fulfilling its pre-election promise of opening 20 new colleges”.
The party said it condemned “such divisive tactics, which are aimed at hiding the failure of successive governments”, adding that the Centre and State governments should set up new colleges to cater to students from Delhi and elsewhere.