NEW DELHI: The controversy surrounding the issuance of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates in Delhi escalated on Tuesday with sharp exchanges between the ruling BJP and the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accused AAP leaders and MLAs of involvement in a large-scale scam, alleging that between 2015 and 2024, fake EWS and caste certificates were issued under their pressure, enabling illegal access to school admissions, hospital services and government benefits.
Sachdeva claimed that EWS certificates were misused extensively, including for fraudulent hospital admissions.
In response, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Delhi government of halting the issuance of EWS certificates deliberately to prevent the disadvantaged from benefiting from the 10% reservation in private schools and hospitals. He further argued that this move would also deprive eligible youth of government job opportunities under the EWS category.
However, Sachdeva rejected these claims, asserting that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had not imposed any ban on the issuance of EWS certificates. He stated that the government had only taken action to address complaints regarding the misuse of these certificates and was working on creating appropriate guidelines to prevent such misuse in the future.
He added, “The BJP had exposed the scam in December 2024, during the AAP government’s tenure, but no action had been taken by the Delhi government against any officials or MLAs involved due to the complicity within the AAP administration.”
Sachdeva assured that EWS certificates would continue to be issued to deserving individuals, clarifying that the government was merely addressing the need for better oversight.
During a press conference, Bharadwaj criticised the BJP-led government’s handling of Delhi, describing it as ineffective and disorganised.
He said, “Under the BJP, we see bizarre decisions every day, and it’s clear they have no idea how to run an administration. Even a village panchayat like Phulera functions better than Delhi’s government today.”