Delhi Education Minister Writes to Kejriwal, Seeks Apology Over Stray Dog Row

New Delhi: Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday asked former chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal to publicly apologise over what he described as misleading statements asking that school teachers were being asked to count stray dogs.

In a letter dated January 5, Sood said Kejriwal’s social media remarks had led to confusion and were disrupting the functioning of schools. He clarified that no such responsibility had been assigned to teachers.

He said the education department would not allow any activity that affects students’ welfare or academic work.

“As education minister, I cannot and will not allow such practices to interfere with the functioning of schools or the interests of children,” Sood said in the letter, while urging Kejriwal to apologise to the people of Delhi for spreading what he termed incorrect information.

The controversy stems from a November 20 government order that appointed nodal officers in schools to address stray dog-related concerns in compliance with Supreme Court directions. However, the order was later portrayed on social media as asking teachers to carry out dog counts, a claim Kejriwal referred to in a post on X.

Sood said the remarks could not be dismissed as an error, given Kejriwal’s experience in public office, and accused the AAP of making allegations without taking responsibility.

The BJP intensified its attack, with Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva demanding that Kejriwal and Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj delete their posts.

"The party would press for further action if the posts were not removed," he added.

The issue also disrupted proceedings in the Delhi Assembly, where BJP legislators demanded an apology from Kejriwal, leading to two adjournments.

Speaker Vijender Gupta later said the matter would be sent to the department-related standing committee on education for examination.

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