The Vijay Rupani Government in Gujarat was left red-faced on Tuesday after its own administration distributed school bags carrying image of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to children under school enrolment drive in tribal-dominated Chhota Udepur district.
The school enrolment drive or Shala Praveshotsav was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat CM with a view to increasing enrolment of students in schools across the State and now it has become annual affair.
As part of the initiative, around 12,000 education kits, including school bags, were distributed in Chhota Udepur district with sticker carrying logo of district education department. Teachers in Vasedi village noticed when some young children peeled stickers from the bags the image of smiling Akhilesh Yadav appeared from beneath that too with slogan ‘Khoob padho, khoob badho’!
Former Samajwadi Party Government in UP had sanctioned school bags with Yadav’s picture for distribution to schoolchildren last year. However, many of these bags remained undistributed as model code of conduct came in to effect with announcement of Assembly polls in the largest Indian State.
Although his successor Yogi Adityanath continued with distribution of school bags carrying stickers of Akhilesh, but somehow many bags made their way to Gujarat and that has put the Gujarat Government in embarrassment.
Coming in action immediately, State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama announced an enquiry in to the matter.
Chudasama said the bags were sourced by e-tendering by Chhota Udepur District Panchayat when Congress was ruling it. The bags are learnt to have been sourced from a Surat-based firm - Chhotalal Pvt limited at a cost of Rs 124 per bag. Following the Education Minister blame on Congress, the Opposition party hit out at the BJP-ruled State Government saying that the scheme is implemented by the State Government and hence the State Education Department is responsible for such blunder. Gujarat Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said that it is nothing but yet another corruption racket.