The State Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani was in trouble on the first day of the two-day Assembly session being held in Gairsain. Bent on embarrassing him, the Opposition MlAs raised volley of pointed questions as the question hour started, leaving the Minister, seemingly unprepared, uncomfortable.
In the first question, BJP MlA Surendra Singh Jeena asked about how many Government inter colleges were running sans building. Naithani replied that the figure was just six. Jeena asked him to name them and to spell out the standard norms of building for high schools and inter colleges. The Minister said that as far as the high school is concerned there should be four class rooms aside from one room each for the principal, office, staff room, laboratory and computer. He further said that as for the inter college, there should be ten class rooms, four laboratories, one room each for principal, office, staff and computers. Then the MlA asked him to answer how many schools are running without fulfilling the standard norms, a question that found the minister fumbling for answer. Finding his colleague grappling with his predicament, the leader of the House Harish Rawat tried to deflect attention of the Opposition by way of provoking them. He said that in the 2011, while then state government had upgraded the schools they had stopped short of completing the necessary arrangements like construction of rooms and recruitment of faculties. He further said that their government will help the schools to run as per the standard norms by year 2020.
At this point, the leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt chipped in, saying sarcastically that the treasury bench is dreaming a wild dream of remaining saddled on the seat of power till 2020. Undaunted by the swipe, CM affirmed that they would be in power till 2020 while BJP would have to rest contended with sitting in the Opposition till then. He further said that from now onwards, the State Government would not upgrade any school unless and until all the arrangements are duly made beforehand.
Bhatt quipped that it was strange that the CM had remained unaware of the status of the schools despite having convened several review meetings of the education department.
The Opposition bench was piqued with the officials not bothering to send replies of the questions the Opposition had asked to the minister concerned. They alleged that the entire Government machinery had been engaged to save the minister from answering their questions.
Bhatt pilloried the Government, saying that the treasury bench was doing cheap politics instead of answering their questions.
He further said that when the State was under the President’s rule Rawat had spent a whole night with the agitating guest teachers and had assured them that he would fulfill their demands once he resumed power. But now, he is sleeping on the matter for the past six months, Bhatt quipped. Seemingly annoyed with the swipe, CM said that to address the guest teacher issue, the state government has been studying the legal aspects and will have the matter resolved soon.
As the Speaker asked for the next question to be raised, Bhatt mentioned a school at Sirohi under the Ranikhet Assembly constituency which had collapsed. The Minister assured that things would be solved on priority.