India, Aug. 13 -- Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party's allegations of irregularities in the government's bicycle procurement for schoolgirls, accusing the Opposition of running a "misleading campaign" despite the tender being awarded through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. Addressing a press conference, Sood claimed AAP had repeatedly altered its allegations regarding the alleged commission in the procurement process. "Their figures have changed from 70 per cent to 40 per cent, then 43 per cent, 66 per cent and 75 per cent within a few days. These shifting claims themselves expose the absence of any factual basis," he said. Also Read - Man sedated, electrocuted, & beaten to death in S Delhi The minister maintained that the procurement was carried out in accordance with prescribed rules through the GeM portal, which he described as an automated and transparent procurement platform. According to Sood, the system does not permit restrictive tender conditions, no complaints were received from bidders during the tender process, and the contract was awarded to the lowest eligible (L1) bidder after completing all procedural formalities. He also accused the Opposition of targeting welfare schemes launched by the Rekha Gupta-led government, including the bicycle distribution programme for schoolgirls and the Delhi Lakshmi Yojana.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.