‘PM Modi doesn’t understand importance of education’: Manish Sisodia in letter from jail

Former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia is just a diploma holder himself and should judge people on the basis of maturity and wisdom, not degrees, BJP hits back.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: April 7, 2023 11:25 AM IST

4 min read

Jailed AAP 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and jailed AAP leader Manish Sisodia (PTI, file)

Listen to this article

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Having a “less educated” Prime Minister was “extremely dangerous” for the country, former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia wrote in an open ‘letter to the nation’ from behind bars Friday in which he sought to underline the need for India to have “an educated PM”.

The BJP was quick to go on the offensive, accusing the AAP MLA of holding “only a diploma” himself and advising him to judge people on the basis of their maturity and wisdom instead of academic degrees.

Don't miss | AAP’s ‘uneducated PM’ jibe: What the party plans to gain

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the former Delhi education minister alleged that the PM neither understood science nor “the importance of education” even as he accused the BJP-led Centre of shutting down 60,000 government schools across the country over the last few years.

“We are living in the 21st century today. New innovations in science and technology are taking place all over the world every day. The world is talking about Artificial Intelligence…given this, when I hear the PM say that dirty gas funnelled from a drain can be used to make tea or food, my heart sinks,” Sisodia, currently in judicial custody till April 17 following his arrest in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, wrote.

“Can this gas be used to make tea or food? No! He becomes the butt of jokes across the world and children in school and college make fun of him when he says that aircraft behind clouds cannot be detected by radar. Such comments of his are extremely dangerous for the country,” he added.

Explained | Query on PM’s education: How the case moved from CIC to HC

The Prime Minister’s statements to this effect, Sisodia sought to argue, betrayed how “less educated” India’s PM was to the world and how he lacked even foundational knowledge about science.

World leaders visiting the country and hugging the PM led to heavy costs for India because what they were getting “signed away” from the PM was beyond his comprehension, he added.

“Today, the youth of the country is aspirational…it wants to win the world. Does a less educated PM have the capability to fulfil these aspirations?” Sisodia asked.

Story continues below this ad

Must read | Former AAP leader Ashutosh writes: Decoding Arvind Kejriwal’s latest attack on PM Narendra Modi

“The population of the country is increasing and so should the number of government schools but 60,000 of these have been shut across the country which is alarming as it shows that education is not a priority for them…how will my India prosper like this?” he asked.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana took on the jailed former minister, terming his comments regrettable.

“I want to tell Sisodia, a person cannot be judged on the basis of their degrees, but their maturity, wisdom, their thinking and their understanding of issues — all of which, unfortunately, you do not possess yourself,” Khurana said.

“You yourself are just a diploma-holder and you’re questioning a qualified MA? You neither have the wisdom nor the required understanding of issues and you are questioning a PM whom the country is proud of and the world salutes India for? This amazes me,” Khurana added.

From the homepage