GUWAHATI: The Twitter war between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal just refuses to die down, as CM Sarma's tweet today proved, and he has also managed to make his point.
Around noon on Saturday, the Assam CM tweeted, "Unless forced to, we prefer to work quietly! In this academic year we've established 100 Secondary Schools for kids of tea garden workers; 100 more in pipeline. Tea gardens are located in remotest parts of Assam. Watch these infrastructure and lovely kids. @arvindkejriwal " with an accompanying video.
The video accompanying the Twitter post, ostensibly for Kejriwal's consumption speaks volumes about the effort made to inform him about Assam's achievements on the education front.
Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal was quick to reply to CM Sarma's post, tweeting, "Unlike certain CMs who need paid ads to tomtom their meagre work, the achievements of our Assam Government, under the visionary leadership of HCM Dr. @himantabiswa, speak for themselves. In Delhi, they make models of schools. In Assam, we build actual schools for our children".
On Friday too, CM Sarma had tweeted, "Our commitment for excellence is supreme. We do & don't brag. Despite being small state in eco terms compared to Delhi, Assam constructing 21 state-of-art medical colleges / hospitals: 06 completed; 03 to be completed this year. Rest in difft stages of completion."
It all started on August 24, when Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that Assam should not close down schools, but open more- referring to the Assam government's decision to amalgamate certain schools where the enrolment did not match the number of teachers.
CM Sarma was quick to reply, "Dear @ArvindKejriwal Ji - As usual you commented on something without any homework! Since my days as Edu Minister, till now, please note, Assam Govt has established/ taken over 8610 NEW SCHOOLS; break-up below. How many new schools Delhi Government has started in last 7 yrs?"
In his turn, Kejriwal tweeted that it he had been misunderstood and wanted to see the condition of Assam's schools for himself, implying that his message was taken in the wrong vein by CM Sarma, who then invited Kejriwal to Assam.
Following the exchange between the Delhi AAP CM and Assam BJP Chief Minister on Twitter, experts pointed out that the student to teacher ratio is far better in Assam than Delhi, with one teacher teaching lesser students here.
Minister Pijush Hazarika was also quick to point out the fact, tweeting, "Assam schools, notwithstanding the advantages of Delhi, are doing better in Pupil-Teacher Ratio to Learning Outcome & Quality Index, as compared to @ArvindKejriwal 's Delhi model"
He also put Kejriwal in place by tweeting on August 26, "Dear @ArvindKejriwal Ji, 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 number2+ lakh; Midday meal workers 1.18 lakh. Fathom it?"
Further, he said, "We impart education in six mediums including 14 different tribal languages. Our diversity is something that we'r proud of, cherish, & ensure it 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!"
"And yes, when you're in Assam, which you so desperately wish to, I will take you to our Medical Colleges, 1000 times better than your Mohalla Clinic. Also meet our bright Govt school teachers & students."
To cut a long story short and without resorting to repetition, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma presented a unique idea that's got the whole country talking- the concept of five capitals for the five regions of the country.
On August 29, the Assam CM again took to Twitter to post a three part message which said, "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?"
"This will ensure, govts like Delhi do not have huge wealth at their disposal vis a vis North East and states from East……"
"Finally, after seven decades of denial & negligence, process of 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."
We just hope the Twitterati and the whole country gets the message.
Also read: 'Do This, or Else….': Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika Issues 3-Month Ultimatum to Rehab Centres
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