Atishi calls schools fee regulation bill 'opaque' ; BJP says it is her 'political frustration'

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi on Wednesday accused the BJP government of bypassing transparency in drafting a bill on regulating fees of private schools even as the BJP hit back, calling her criticism a result of "political frustration" over her inaction while in power.

In a letter to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Atishi said she learnt about the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, only through the CM's social media posts and media reports and alleged that no draft or consultative process was made public.

“The process so far has been entirely opaque, which is ironic given the bill’s stated objective of transparency,” she wrote.

Delhi's former chief minister demanded immediate action for the 2025–26 academic year, including rollback of increased charges, refunds for excess fees collected, and a temporary freeze on fee hikes until the proposed legislation takes effect.

"While the draft bill seeks to regulate future fee hikes from academic year 2026-27 onwards, and even those provisions will need to be examined it leaves the most important question unanswered, what happens to the fees already hiked by private schools this year?" the Aam Aadmi Party leader asked in the letter.

An order should be issued stopping all fee hikes and new charges introduced by private schools for the current academic year and any school that has already taken hiked fees should be directed to refund the same immediately, she added.

LoP Atishi also urged the government to release the draft bill for public feedback before introducing it in the Assembly.

Responding to her allegations, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “Atishi’s letter reflects her political frustration.” He accused her of failing to act on fee regulation during her party’s 10-year rule and claimed that the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government had taken decisive steps within three months by drafting the bill.

“AAP failed to introduce any legislation on school fees, and now, as Leader of Opposition, Atishi is frustrated with her party sidelining her on political matters,” Kapoor added.

The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved the bill, which aims to regulate private school fee hikes by establishing school-level committees and mandating that any increase be justified by improvements in infrastructure or services.

The bill proposes that these committees be formed by July 31, with recommendations due within 30 days.

The issue has become a new flashpoint between the AAP and BJP, with both sides accusing each other of neglecting the interests of parents burdened by high educational costs.