The tussle between the Delhi government and the BJP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) further intensified on Monday with the civic agency floating an ambitious plan to introduce Board examination for class V students.

Mayor Kanwar Sain has come up with this plan, which he wants to implement from the next academic year.

The plan is being proposed by the political brass of the civic agency at a time when the power to make any rules regarding primary education have been handed over to Delhi government by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Not only primary education but also the authority to make building byelaws has also been transferred to the Delhi government.

When quizzed whether he will send the proposal to Delhi government for approval, Sain said: “If need be I will discuss the matter with the Delhi government but it is not mandatory. We have come up with this idea and will send it to the Human Resource Development Ministry for final approval. I have already spoken to a number of educationists.”

Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely termed the entire move as political.

“To conduct board exams one has to be registered or affiliated to an education board. And there is no such board in India, which conducts common examination for class V. For this, amendment in Delhi School Act is also required and the MCD is not competent to do that,” said Lovely.

He said educationists and experts have been suggesting to do away with any form of examination at the class V, so this move of the MCD contradicts that.

According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 27, the Delhi government now has the authority to make any rules regarding primary education.

“We want to improve the level of primary education in the city and introduction of board examination will be a step in that direction,” said Sain.