Accusing the BJP government of halting the issuance of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) certificates, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged that the move was a deliberate attempt to prevent the underprivileged from availing reservations in private schools and hospitals.

Addressing a press conference, AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “The BJP is anti-poor. The decision to stop the issuance of EWS certificates in Delhi is a deliberate attempt to deny the underprivileged access to the 10 per cent reservation in private schools and hospitals.”

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The former Delhi minister asserted that the move would also deprive eligible youth of job opportunities in the government sector under the EWS category.

“The BJP government’s decision clearly benefits private institutions. If there are flaws in the certificate issuance process, the government should rectify them instead of penalizing the public for the mistakes made by officials appointed by the Lieutenant Governor (LG),” he said.

Bharadwaj demanded that the government disclose how many District Magistrates (DMs) and Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) have faced action for issuing incorrect certificates.

“If there were irregularities in issuing certificates, then the SDMs were responsible. Who appoints the SDMs? The LG does. The LG doesn’t consult anyone before deciding who will be SDM, ADM, or DM. They prepare their own list unilaterally. Then why appoint such individuals in the first place,” he questioned.