Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj came down heavily on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, blaming its “utter and absolute apathy” for the 27 July accident and asking the Delhi home department to conduct an inquiry.
On 27 July, rainwater flooded the basement library of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar after a car broke the gate of the building, leading to the deaths of three students while others managed to escape. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which enforces building norms in Delhi, has faced flak over the incident.
On Monday, AAP MP Swati Maliwal, who has had a turbulent relationship with her party, introduced the motion to discuss the topic in the Rajya Sabha. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiran Rijiju readily agreed to suspend the business of the Upper House for the discussion, highlighting that the matter involved the youth of the country.
Starting the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi blamed the AAP government for huge spending on the renovation of what he called the “Kejriwal sheesh mahal“, that is, the CM’s residence, and advertisements but not on cleaning drains or resolving water or construction issues.
Trivedi said that despite students’ complaints, no inspections were done at the coaching centre. “According to the NOC given by the fire department, the basement was to be used only for storage, while an inquiry was pending. The entire issue shows criminal negligence,” he said.
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‘What about discussions on NEET paper leak or Kota suicides?’
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, on the other hand, criticised the central government for speedily accepting a discussion on the issue but not allowing discussions on Manipur or NEET.
“Did we show the same speed, concern, and alacrity to discuss railway accidents, NEET issue, Manipur violence, Assam floods and other key issues?” asked O’Brien, expressing the hope that “notices brought by Congress, Trinamool Congress (the second largest Opposition party in the House) and DMK (third largest) are also accepted in the future”.
“Have we addressed the commodification of education? Does our National Education Policy tackle it?” he further asked, questioning who has been backing the coaching centres in Kota, where 26 suicides have taken place over the last year.
Derek, citing the Bollywood movie, 12th Fail, said that education should be handled by those who know education. He also referred to Exam Warriors as an example of those who do not understand education.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Trichy Siva said that the discussion was allowed only to attack the Delhi government but the lieutenant governor (L-G) is currently handling Delhi’s affairs.
Expressing the same sentiment as O’Brien, he said the House is not discussing the NEET deaths with alacrity.
AAP’s Sanjay Singh defended the Delhi government, saying the BJP ruled MCD for 15 years till his party assumed power in 2022, and now, the L-G is preventing the government from doing its work.
“Our hand is tied, and we have been thrown in the swimming pool to swim…. officers don’t listen to our words, how will the Delhi government work?” he asked.
He also expressed condolences for the students affected by the NEET paper leak, and those who committed suicide in Kota, saying, “These incidents also deserve our compassion.”
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‘Lives lost due to Delhi government’s criminal negligence’
In the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj attacked the Delhi government, saying, “A heart-wrenching incident took place in Old Rajinder Nagar…three students lost their lives. These students belonged to Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. They had come to Delhi to prepare for civil services to brighten their future. But, with a lot of pain, I have to say that because of the negligence of the Delhi government, because of the government’s criminal negligence, these kids lost their lives.”
“The AAP government has been enjoying power for the past decade. But it has not done any work for the people of Delhi,” she said, adding that the AAP has also controlled the MCD and the Delhi Jal Board for the past two years, but it has not done any drain upgrading or desilting work.
“I want to say one important thing about what happened in Old Rajinder Nagar…on 22 July and 24 July, the residents complained to the local MLA, the local councillor, and the officers, but they did not take action,” she added.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor joined her call for a “comprehensive inquiry” into the issue.
“I just visited the hospital and met with the uncle of the boy from Kerala, who unfortunately lost his life on the weekend…. This is a matter which obviously calls for compensation, but no compensation can be enough for the tragic loss of life of a young man cut short in his prime,” he said.
“There is sadly a level of violations of basic norms when it comes to building codes, fire safety, flood safety, and so on that is rampant in the city, the corporation also has a responsibility,” he said.
Claiming he saw a certificate of clearance, issued by the MCD to the coaching centre on 9 July, Tharoor said, “Now, this kind of thing will have to be corrected. Drains have to be cleaned, they are choked and clogged. The most important issue and I say this on behalf of the family, also, is to prevent such future tragedies.”
Senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said in the Lok Sabha, “This coaching centre, I am told by the media, had no approved building at all…. Some of the coaching centres have become the mafia. Is the government going to take any action; any guidelines on this issue?”
Responding, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Centre issued exhaustive and detailed guidelines on coaching centres and shared those with all states in 2017, 2019, and 2020.
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‘Solution will emerge after fixing accountability’
Pradhan said the latest advisory to the states on 16 January this year asked them to register coaching centres, set their minimum standards and safeguards, devise how to monitor the centres continuously and decide on penalties to check violations.
He added that Bihar, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Manipur have already set guidelines to regulate coaching centres.
He also said that the flooding deaths in the coaching centre was a case of “negligence”, and that a solution would emerge only after fixing accountability.
“The law is clear on this… states will have to take responsibility,” he, however, added.
Taking on the Opposition leaders who were criticising the current education structure, Pradhan said that “some people have pseudo-intellectual activism” and “are still influenced by Macaulay’s ghost”.
“Here, some members have an issue when the PM is giving tips to students appearing before board exams.… what do I say to this?” he asked.
Meanwhile, in a jibe at the central government, Samajwadi Party leader and MP Akhilesh Yadav said, “In Uttar Pradesh, bulldozers are run over illegal buildings. I want to know if bulldozers will be run here too.”
“The planning and NOC responsibility is of the officers,” he said, asking for action against those responsible for the 7 July incident.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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