CM dropped from Melania event
US First Lady was to be briefed on curriculum, AAP alleges central government’s role in dropping ministers; BJP tells it not to play ‘politics’
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, will be absent when US first lady Melania Trump visits a government school in the Capital on Tuesday to learn of the “happiness curriculum” being taught to students.
Kejriwal and Sisodia were to welcome Melania Trump at the school and brief her on the curriculum, which was introduced by the Delhi government in all its schools in July 2018 and includes meditation, storytelling, question-answer sessions and other activities aimed at de-stressing students.
The CM’S office was informed on Saturday morning by US officials that Kejriwal and Sisodia had been dropped from the list of attendees at the school event, Delhi government officials and senior functionaries of the ruling AAP said. The Union government did not officially comment. A senior official said the event was being organised by the US embassy. The US embassy did not comment either.
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, will be absent when US First Lady Melania Trump visits a government school in the capital on Tuesday to get to know of the “happiness curriculum” being taught to students.
Kejriwal and Sisodia were to welcome Melania Trump at the school and brief her on the curriculum, which was introduced by the Delhi government in all its schools in July 2018 and includes meditation, storytelling, other activities aimed at de-stressing students and question-answer sessions.
The CM’S office was informed on Saturday morning by US officials that Kejriwal and Sisodia had been dropped from the list of attendees at the school event, Delhi government officials and senior functionaries of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said.
“It is bizarre that not even the city’s education minister could make it to the guest list, even as the entire school event will be focussed on the happiness curriculum which was launched by the Delhi government,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity. “We are yet to be told who will explain the nuances of the course to the First Lady. We have learnt that the names of the CM and deputy CM were dropped on the Central government’s pressure.”
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) did not officially comment on the subject. A senior official familiar with the matter said the event was being organised by the US embassy. The US embassy told HT it did not want to comment on the matter either.
Earlier in the day, Sisodia, who took stock of the ongoing happiness lessons at a government school in west Vinod Nagar on Saturday morning, told reporters that preparations were underway for the visit of Melania Trump to a school in the capital to attend one such class.
“All preparations are taking place according to the MEA and the central government. Yes, in some schools, some preparations are underway for Melania Trump’s visit but I cannot tell you more about that due to security issues,” Sisodia said.
On the exclusion of Kejriwal and Sisodia from the US First Lady’s school visit, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said “petty politics” should be avoided during the visit of the American president and his wife.
“Petty politics should not be played on important occasions. The government of India represents all Indians and political affiliations should not count on such an occasion,” BJP spokesperson Sambrit Patra told reporters.
The AAP alleged that the dropping of Kejriwal and Sisodia from the list of invitees to the school event was the handiwork of the Bjp-led central government.
“There is no match for the pettiness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. You (the PM) may not invite Kejriwal and Sisodia, but their work speaks for them,” AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said.
The AAP stormed back to power in elections held earlier this month, winning 62 of the 70 assembly seats, after fighting the polls on the basis of the work it has done in Delhi during the past five years, including improvements it has introduced in government schools.
Party spokesperson Nimmi Rastogi said, “Modi government’s decision to keep Kejriwal and Sisodia out of Melania Trump’s visit reeks of pettiness and jealousy. These are the exact traits we teach our kids to stay away from in the happiness classes. They could learn magnanimity and gratitude from our tiny tots. It will serve them well.”