The Twitter feud between Arvind Kejriwal and Himanta Biswa Sarma continued on Monday as Assam CM slammed the Delhi CM for mocking the poor states and called for parity in the distribution of wealth, suggesting that India should have five capitals, one in each zone.
“Having been engaged in a dialogue with Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal, who’s by now in habit of mocking at other states, I’m of the view that we should work on curing the disease of disparity, and not mock poor states. Can we have 5 Capitals of India, one in every zone?” Sarma tweeted.
Having been engaged in a dialogue with Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal, who’s by now in habit of mocking at other states, I’m of the view that we should work on curing the disease of disparity, and not mock poor states. Can we have 5 Capitals of India, one in every zone? 1/3
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 29, 2022
In another tweet, the Assam CM elaborated that having five capitals in each zone would ensure that governments like Delhi will not have massive wealth at their disposal vis a vis North East and states from East.
Sarma also highlighted how the North East had been neglected for over 70 years, and it was after PM Modi came to power in 2024 that the focus shifted to the North East.
“Finally, after seven decades of denial & negligence, the mainstreaming of the North East started in 2014 by Hon PM, and the pace of progress is unrelenting. North East does not need sympathy & ridicule, we need what’s due to us – respect, resources and regeneration,” Sarma said in the third tweet.
Sarma’s suggestion, calling for having five capitals of India, came after the Delhi CM mocked the Assam government over reports of closures of several educational institutes in the state in the wake of poor performance in the HSLC examinations, results for which were declared in June this year.
Twitter spat between Arvind Kejriwal and Himanta Biswa Sarma
The saga began on August 25 when Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal criticized the Assam govt for the decision to merge 34 schools with other schools following their poor performance in board exams. Quoting a report saying that the Assam govt has ordered to close 34 schools after not a single student could pass the 10th exam from those schools, Kejriwal tweeted that closing schools are not the solution. “We need to open many new schools all over the country. Instead of closing the school, improve the school and make education right,” he had added.
Responding to this, Sarma stated that Assam had opened 8610 new government schools which included 8391 private schools taken over by the government in the state. “How many new schools Delhi Government has started in the last 7 yrs?”, he had pondered.
While the Assam CM and everyone else was waiting for Kejriwal to respond with the corresponding numbers for Delhi, he decided to dodge the question completely. Instead, he claimed that he was not criticizing Assam’s education system; instead, everyone should learn from each other to make the country number one. Then he offered to visit Assam to see the Assam government’s work in education, and invited Sarma to Delhi so that he can show his government’s work in the sector.
However, Himanta Biswa Sarma lambasted Kejriwal for his attempt to compare the education sector in both states. Pointing out how the scale of the challenge in Assam is vastly different from what Kejriwal faces in Delhi, he tweeted, “Your ignorance is painful. Let me help you. Assam is 50 times bigger than Delhi! Our 44521 govt schools teach 65 lakh students- against your 1000+ odd schools. Our army of dedicated teachers numbers 2+ lakh; Midday meal workers 1.18 lakh. Fathom it?”
He added that, unlike Delhi, Assam has to manage the fury of floods, deal with militancy, negotiate hilly & tough terrains – and yet deliver high-quality education. Pointing out further differences between the two states, Assam CM said, “We impart education in six mediums including 14 different tribal languages. Our diversity is something that we’re proud of, cherish, & ensure to thrive through our unique education system. And yes, we do not have resources like that in Delhi. We’re proud of what we’ve and do!”
