Senior AAP leader and MCD in-charge Shri Durgesh Pathak stated on Wednesday that the BJP-ruled MCD will not give ration to students who didn’t attend online classes even when the government reports say 40-45% of students are unable to take online classes because of the lack of infrastructure. He said that it is shameful that the BJP will not give mid-day meal ration to poor man’s children who failed to attend online classes because their parents can’t afford android phones. AAP’s press conferences and protests pressurized the BJP to take action on the non-distribution of the mid-day meal ration and a distribution order was finally released by the BJP yesterday. He further said that very poor children study in MCD schools and it is a sin to rob their mid-day meal ration. Still, in the past 1.5 years, the BJP managed it and engaged in corruption. He further requested BJP’s Adesh Gupta and BJP’s Mayor to scrap this unjust rule and distribute the mid-day meal ration to all the children.
Senior AAP leader and MCD in-charge Shri Durgesh Pathak said, “Had you noticed in the past few months, we have requested the BJP many times via press conferences to distribute the mid-day meal ration to children. Moreover, Delhi’s Deputy CM Shri Manish Sisodia Ji himself held a press conference and requested them. For the last 1-1.5 years we have been under lockdown and since then the BJP has not distributed the ration to the children.”
He said, “Yesterday, they took out this order for ration distribution. When we were raising this agenda, our councillors raised this issue in the assembly, they raised this issue in the standing committee, we held press conferences, party’s senior leaders held press conferences, and we even protested. At that time, they used to say that the tender has not been finalized with the NGOs and that’s why they are not able to distribute the ration. Whereas, in the order that they have now issued, they have mentioned that they can just pick up the ration and distribute it. This means that maybe it was because of indecisiveness or because of a matter pertaining to the distribution of the money that led to the non-distribution of ration to the students since the past 1.5 years. Very poor children study in MCD schools. I believe it is a very big sin to rob their mid-day meal ration. Still, in the past 1.5 years, they tried to manage it and engage in corruption. Yet the Aam Aadmi Party’s press conferences took place, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia took press conferences which finally led to the release of this distribution order at least.”
He said, “However, there is still a very big flaw in this order. Firstly, it is important to understand that the children attending the MCD schools come from the poorest strata. In this order, they have taken out a rule that ration will not be provided to the students who are not attending the online classes. So about 3 lakh students study in the North MCD schools. As per a report, almost 40-50% of students are unable to attend online classes because their parents are so poor that they do not own android phones or the internet, that they do not have the kind of arrangement it takes to attend online classes. We have conducted press conferences on this many times and there are many government reports as well that say that about 40-45% of students are unable to take online classes because of the lack of infrastructure. Yet the BJP’s order reads that the students who didn’t attend online classes will not be given this ration. So, the poor man’s child who couldn’t take online classes because of the lack of facilities, BJP will not even give them the ration. It is so shameful on humanitarian grounds.”
Sh. Durgesh Pathak further said, “I want to request BJP leaders with folded hands, that we might have our differences but please do not bring this rule. Through this rule, you are planning to kill the poor. That poor kid, he cannot study because he does not have a phone and this rule of yours will kill him. I request with folded hands to BJP’s Adesh Gupta Ji and the newly installed mayor of the BJP to remove this rule and distribute this ration to all the children. This ration does not even belong to you. It is being given by the Central Government. What problem do you have in distributing it?”
