Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday penned down his prison musings in an open letter. Sisodia writes that being in jail has given him the time to reflect on current developments. He wondered why the politics of incarceration, threat, and intimidation are always easy to execute over the politics of public good i.e education.
In his letter Sisodia questions why leaders who have attained positions of power have not established excellent schools and colleges for the youth of the country. He ponders why education has always been sidelined, despite its critical importance. “If politics had devoted its resources and energy towards education, every child in our nation would have had access to quality schools like developed countries,” he wrote.
Sisodia has been sent to 14-day judicial custody and is presently lodged in Tihar’s jail number 1. He was arrested for allegedly being involved in the Delhi Excise Policy scam. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested him following hours-long questioning in Tihar.
Sisodia while going for judicial custody had requested the court for a notebook and a pen and Bhagwat Gita inside his prisons. Sisodia is kept in a separate cell for senior citizens in Jail number 1.
A copy of his letter was also shared by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal on his Twitter account and said: “Manish Sisodia wrote a letter to the country from jail- “BJP does politics of putting people in jail, we are doing politics of educating children. It is easy to send to jail, and very difficult to teach children. The nation will progress by education, not by sending to jail.”
According to Sisodia, it’s easier to silence dissent by imprisoning critics than to establish quality educational institutions for all children in the country. “In Uttar Pradesh, a folk singer who expressed dissent was threatened with imprisonment by the government. Similarly, when a Congress spokesperson used a term that referenced Modi ji, police in two states apprehended him like a movie scene. The reason Arvind Kejriwal ji is considered a criminal is that he has introduced a new form of politics that challenges Modi ji’s approach. As a result, two members of Kejriwal’s government are currently imprisoned,” he wrote.
He writes that the picture is crystal clear. “Politics of Jail boosts the power of the ruling leader. However, the issue with the politics of education is that it empowers the nation, not the individual leader,” he added. He said that if every child, regardless of their family background, receives an education and becomes a responsible citizen, the country will progress. “Fortunately, during this period of freedom, the country has two contrasting political approaches- politics of jail and politics of education. As a result, it’s clear to the nation which approach benefits the individual leader and which benefits the country as a whole,” he said.
Sisodia compared the politics of prison and education in the country. He stated that the politics of education is a challenging task, unlike the politics of prison, which can be done by pressuring four officers of the investigating agency. “In education, it takes a lot of effort to motivate children, parents, and teachers. In contrast, in prison politics, it is easy to pressure investigating agencies to send someone to jail. However, this approach does not work in the politics of education. Teachers cannot be forced to work under pressure or intimidation. They need respect and love to perform their duties efficiently. Leaders have always found it easier to achieve success in prison politics than in the politics of education,” he said.