Gandhinagar, April 13 (IANS) Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, launched an attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, accusing them of spreading misinformation regarding the Gujarat Class X board examination results, adding that both the leaders are “fake” and “fraudlent”.

The controversy erupted after both opposition leaders criticised the Gujarat government on social media platform ‘X’, citing media reports that allegedly showed alarmingly poor pass percentages in government schools of the state.

However, netizens quickly pointed out that the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has not yet declared the Class X results for the current academic year, with results expected in May.

Reacting to opposition leaders’ claims, Gujarat Minister Harsh Sanghavi wrote on X: “I have never seen such fake and fraudulent leaders. The Gujarat Board results haven’t even been released yet, but Mr. Akhilesh Yadav and his associate, Arvind Kejriwal, are circulating fake results on social media. This is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and manipulate perceptions. These leaders have no right to involve innocent children in their dirty politics.”

Meanwhile, Gujarat Minister of State for Education, Praful Pansheriya, echoed Sanghavi's views and called for actions against Akhilesh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal.

“The public - especially students, parents, and teachers - must stay vigilant against such fake news and rely only on official announcements,” Pansheriya said.

He further added that the people of Gujarat and across India have consistently rejected such deceit, which is why these kinds of leaders are being voted out by informed citizens.

He further added: “There is a despicable attempt by anti-social and failed leaders to deceive students by posting fake board results on social media. Don’t drag children into your political games. Don’t gamble with their future.”

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav’s post included what appeared to be a 2023 news headline. “Gujarat board results: Zero students passed Class 10 in 157 schools. The Gujarat model has failed… Not a single student passed the 10th board exam in 157 schools in Gujarat. We will remove BJP and save the future,” he wrote.

Arvind Kejriwal amplified the claim, adding: “This is the Gujarat model. This is the BJP model, which they want to implement in the entire country. This is the double-engine model. They want to keep the country illiterate. Tell me one state where the BJP has a government and hasn’t ruined education. Under this model, they are now trying to destroy the education system in Delhi.”

Meanwhile, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi defended Yadav and Kejriwal, arguing that their posts pointed to a deeper and longstanding issue within Gujarat’s education system under BJP rule.

“In the BJP’s 30-year tenure, Gujarat’s education sector has steadily deteriorated,” Doshi claimed.

“The student-teacher ratio is appalling. Government schools are witnessing a decline in both teachers and classrooms. The education department has become the epicentre of corruption,” he said.

The Congress leader said that a school without a teacher and a village without a school aptly represents the current education model under the Gujarat BJP government.