– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Exposing the reality behind the fee hikes in Delhi’s private schools following the BJP’s formation of government in the capital, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that Bharat Arora, who heads the Action Committee of Private Unaided Schools, has close links with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and holds a key post in the BJP’s state executive. The party demanded that the Delhi government immediately issue an order directing private schools to roll back the increased fees.
Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj and National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda claimed that the individual responsible for the steep fee hikes in private schools was closely associated with CM Rekha Gupta.
Bharadwaj also criticised the BJP’s decision to involve Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) for school audits, terming it a calculated legal loophole designed to fail in court and allow private schools to operate unchecked. Anurag Dhanda, citing a “direct conflict of interest,” demanded that the CM either immediately withdraw the fee hike or resign. The AAP leaders also warned of large-scale mobilisation if corrective action was not taken.
“For the past 50 days, we’ve been raising our voice about how the BJP government is working against the interests of the poor and lower-income groups. Today, we are presenting concrete proof that a large-scale conspiracy is being waged against Delhi’s middle class,” Bharadwaj said.
Providing background, he added, “Since schools reopened on April 1st, parents of children enrolled in some of Delhi’s top private schools have been staging protests at school gates — braving the scorching 40-degree summer heat. Meanwhile, the BJP government remains indifferent to their suffering.”
Recalling earlier instances, Bharadwaj said, “Whenever the Delhi government took strict steps against arbitrary fee hikes — whether through orders, advisories, or investigations — one specific organisation representing private schools rushed to court. This umbrella body is called the ‘Action Committee of Private Recognised Unaided Schools,’ sometimes referred to as the ‘Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools.’”
“This Action Committee has frequently challenged our directives in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. On one side stood the Delhi government and the Directorate of Education: on the other, the Action Committee of Private Unaided Schools. Bharat Arora is the president of this committee,” he stated.
Bharadwaj pointed out that the Action Committee’s website lists many schools currently in the spotlight for hiking fees — including DPS, Salwan School, and several others — all of which are members of the committee.
He presented Bharat Arora’s Facebook and X profiles, asserting that Arora has publicly supported the BJP through social media posts.
Bharadwaj highlighted a specific post that read, “‘5 February ka din ho ga, kamal chunav chinh ho ga,’” accompanied by the BJP’s lotus symbol and Bharat Arora’s image.
He went on to reveal that Bharat Arora is a member of the BJP Delhi Pradesh Executive Committee, heads the Academic Cell of BJP Delhi, and serves as the Convener of the Teachers’ Cell or Shikshak Prakoshth.
“This person is an active BJP functionary. His photos with BJP MPs and the Chief Minister are all over social media. And as soon as the BJP came to power in Delhi, reports began flooding in — this school hiked fees by 60%, that one by 65%, another by 25%,” Bharadwaj said.
He also cited the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973 — particularly Section 183 — which mandates that school audits must be conducted by auditors appointed by the Directorate of Education, or by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). “Instead,” he alleged, “they’ve handed the responsibility to SDMs.”
