New Delhi: Delhi Education Minister Shri Ashish Sood Saturday (October 24, 2026) launched a scathing counterattack against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), exposing what he termed as cheap "hoot and shoot" politics aimed at derailing the Delhi Education Department’s progress.
Calling out AAP leaders as "unemployed politicians fighting for survival," Sood dismantled their allegations of a textbook procurement scam point-by-point by distributing physical textbook copies, tender work orders, and measuring rulers directly to journalists during a press conference.
"Big Chhotus vs. Small Chhotus": AAP's Internal Political Tussle
Taking a direct swipe at AAP’s leadership dynamics, Minister Ashish Sood attributed the false allegations to desperation among senior AAP leaders trying to maintain their relevance against newly joined party members.
"New 'Chhotus' (junior/minion leaders) have arrived in their party. So that the relevance of the 'old/big Chhotus' remains greater than these 'new/small Chhotus,' unemployed leaders are spreading lies to run their political shops. Caught up in this internal fight between the big Chhotus and small Chhotus, these leader-less politicians are wandering around making baseless claims."
Fact-Checking AAP’s Book Scam Claims: Price, Size, and Tender Specs
Rebutting AAP's allegations regarding the procurement of the Class 8 Hindi textbook 'Malhar', the Minister presented physical proof comparing current purchases with those made under the previous AAP regime:
Procurement Price: While AAP alleged a scam over NCERT selling books for ₹65, the Delhi government purchased the Malhar textbook for just ₹28.61. Under the previous AAP government in 2022, a textbook of the exact same size (Griha Vigyan) was printed at ₹55—nearly double the current price.
Book Size & Dimensions: The tender specifications explicitly required dimensions of 17.1 cm x 24.1 cm (A4 / standard format), exactly matching previous years' standards. Sood challenged reporters to measure both books with the provided rulers to verify that no size reduction took place.
Overall Price Capped at ₹51: While highest textbook prices reached up to ₹110 and ₹133 under the previous AAP government, the present government—despite cost inflation over four years—has capped the highest book price at just ₹51.
Drastic Price Reductions Across Classes:
- Class 8: AAP government bought books up to ₹110 (2022); present price capped at ₹50.38 (54% lower).
- Class 7: AAP price highest at ₹103; present price capped at ₹75.88.
- Class 6: AAP price highest at ₹133; present price capped at ₹57.76.
"AAP leaders run on 'hoot and shoot' politics—tell lies, make false claims of 40% commission, and run away. They don't even know the price of a single book, yet they claim a scam. In reality, 60% commission business used to happen under AAP rule." — Shri Ashish Sood, Delhi Education Minister
Decisive Action & Strict Penalties
Further taking a tough stance on the matter, Minister Ashish Sood warned that the government has initiated a thorough examination of the entire issue. He stated that following the review, strict penal action will be initiated against those involved in spreading deliberate falsehoods and attempting to mislead the public.
Official 2023 Letters Expose Poor Quality Under AAP Regime
Sood released official letters dated August 17, 2023, and September 6, 2023, written by the then-Secretary (Education) during AAP's tenure. The letters officially recorded that the quality and printing of textbooks supplied under the previous government were substandard.
"Their own Education Secretary was writing letters in 2023 criticizing the poor printing quality of books under AAP's government, where identical-sized books were bought for ₹55. Under our government, books are bought transparently for ₹28.61 after passing strict laboratory quality tests."
Minister Announces Sequential Exposé of Major AAP Scams
Declaring that AAP leaders see scams everywhere because of their own corrupt past, the Education Minister pledged to systematically bring out evidence on several massive corruption scandals from AAP’s tenure:
- ₹5,400 Crore Classroom Scam
- ₹500+ Crore CCTV Scam
- ₹500+ Crore EWS Admissions Scam
- ₹1,000 Crore COVID Fraud
- AAP Cash-for-Query Racket (Taking money to ask specific assembly questions)
"There is a famous saying in rural Delhi: 'Papi jaane paap, jaisa hoon main aap' (A sinner projects their own guilt onto others). Those who committed scam after scam for 10 years see scams in everything."
Musical Response to AAP’s Allegations
Concluding his briefing, Minister Ashish Sood played the iconic retro Bollywood song "Choron Ko Saare Nazar Aate Hain Chor" (from the 1971 film Naya Zamana, sung by Lata Mangeshkar) on the press conference screen as his ultimate reply to AAP’s charges:
"Sau ilzam lagaye, woh mere naam lagaye... Kahiye kuch aur, choron ko saare nazar aate hain chor."
"This song is my complete answer to them. Measure the books with the rulers provided, check the work order rates, and see their own Secretary's letters. Everything is transparent."
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