Sisodia hits out at Centre for stalling his visit to Austria
NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia lashed out at the BJP-led Centre, a day after it rejected him the permission to visit Austria to talk about the Happiness Curricula there. "The Centre does not want to spread the education revolution of Delhi which we have done," said Sisodia.
He also said that last week the government stopped the health minister and this time it is him. "This political vendetta should end. The whole world is praying the happiness curriculum. It is not an education system of Delhi but when I talk abroad I represent my country," he said.
The happiness curriculum, launched by the Delhi government in July, includes meditation, value education and mental exercises for students up to Class 8. Afghanistan had earlier announced that it wants to reform its education system by adopting the format.
The matter first came to light when Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, tweeted on Friday that the Centre was hell-bent on not letting the Delhi government showcase its achievements on the global stage.
"Modiji does not want me to spread my message of Delhi schools' khushi ki paatshaala initiative across the world. It has refused to grant me permission to visit Austria and speak on the 'happiness curriculum' launched here. This has forced me to cancel my plans," he tweeted in Hindi.
According to a statement, Sisodia was slated to go to Austria on a three-day trip soon. "The programme was supposed to dwell on ways to instil happiness in education. He was supposed to participate in a panel discussion and give several interviews, showcasing India's success in bringing happiness into education," it read.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responded to Sisodia's post soon afterwards, claiming that denying AAP representatives permission to travel abroad has become a habit with the central government. "Modiji had earlier refused to let another Delhi minister Satyendra Jain travel to Australia to speak on Mohalla clinics... Proclaiming the good things that happen here across the world only helps glorify the nation. The Centre is playing dirty politics here," he tweeted.
