Delhi stray dog count row: Speaker refers allegations to committee

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has referred allegations of a stray dog count order to a committee for examination. The move follows a complaint by a BJP MLA against AAP leaders for allegedly spreading falsehoods about the said order.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday referred allegations of a stray dog count order to the Department Related Standing Committee on Education for detailed examination. The BJP had accused AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, of spreading falsehoods about the order, which the Delhi Government denies.

BJP Complaint and Speaker's Referral

BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar filed a complaint against AAP leaders for the claim that teachers were asked to count stray dogs. The matter surfaced in the assembly after BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar filed a complaint with the speaker against AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, MLA Sanjeev Jha, and other party leaders, accusing them of spreading falsehoods about the alleged order.

"I have received a complaint from Ajay Mahawar, Member, wherein he has stated that the Convener of the Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, former Chief Minister, Sanjeev Jha, MLA and other leaders are, through newspaper media, making allegations against the Delhi Government that government school teachers in Delhi have been instructed to conduct a count of stray dogs," the speaker stated.

He further reiterated the Delhi Government's repeated denials over the issuance of the order, adding that the matter has been referred to the committee for examination. " The Delhi Government has repeatedly denied that any such order has been issued by it. Taking cognisance of the matter, I am referring the entire issue to the Department Related Standing Committee on Education for detailed examination. The said Committee shall examine the matter and submit its report to the House at the earliest," he noted.

BJP Protests Allegations, Demands Apology

On Tuesday, BJP Delhi MLAs staged a protest at the Delhi Assembly premises against AAP National Convenor and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him and his party of spreading falsehoods about an alleged order related to stray dogs. The BJP leaders alleged that the AAP misled the public by claiming that an order had been issued regarding the deployment of Delhi government teachers to count stray dogs. The protestors demanded a public apology from Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP leadership, terming the allegations "baseless" and "irresponsible."

Speaking to ANI at the protest site, BJP MLA Harish Khurana accused Kejriwal and the AAP of "lying" and said they should be "ashamed" of misleading the people. He said the BJP had raised the issue in the Assembly and demanded that the AAP apologise to the citizens of Delhi, teachers and the entire country. "Kejriwal and the AAP gang lied; they claimed that we had passed an order regarding dogs. They should be ashamed. Today, we demanded in the Assembly that they apologise for this. We demand that they apologise to Delhi, to the teachers, and to the entire country," Khurana stated.

Origin of the Controversy

The uproar comes as Arvind Kejriwal, on December 30, condemned the BJP-led state government for allegedly asking all educational institutions, schools, and stadiums to nominate Nodal Officers for stray-dog matters and to report on them.

In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "Will teachers in Delhi's government schools teach children, or will they count dogs on the streets instead?" He further launched an attack on the BJP government for "insulting teachers" through the order. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)