SHIIMLA: Himachal Pradesh is in competition in education only with Kerala as Delhi stands nowhere in this field, the state BJP said on Tuesday.
Chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma of Himachal BJP made the assertion in response to Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's allegation that the hill state's education system was "in shambles".
Sharma sought to dismiss Sisodia's allegation claiming that the literacy rate in the hill state is more than 96 per cent.
"We would like to ask Manish Sisodia where does Delhi stand in terms of education," he said.
And he answered his question himself, "Delhi is way behind Himachal."
Dubbing Delhi Education Minister Sisodia's allegations as "false and baseless", he said Himachal Pradesh has six lakh students pursuing higher education and more than 14 lakh students enrolled in various courses of all standards.
"Himachal and Delhi cannot be compared as the hill state has a different geographical condition," he added.
Himachal is the only state where some schools have been opened only for five students to ensure that they do not have to cover a long distance to attend schools, he added.
Sharma said Himachal has stood first in many national surveys and got awards in the field of education.
"Our government is giving free uniforms, books and bags to students in the state," he added.
The state government is also giving scholarships to students all over the state for which a budget of Rs 15 crores has been earmarked, he added.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has performed well in all aspects of education in the state and it has regularised several temporary teachers, he added.
He also accused Sisodia of holding a "premeditated programme" in Shimla with all the questions to be asked decided in advance.
"The Aam Aadmi Party should stop these kinds of dramas through which they are trying to misguide the general public for political mileage," he added.
Only AAP members were present in the programme and only they interacted with Sisodia, he added.