Need Rs 20,000 crore: Ashneer Grover reacts to X user's post on DU hostel crisis

BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover responded to a post comparing Delhi University hostels with BJP offices and said the campus's infrastructure is crumbling. The exchange widened into a debate over student safety, basic facilities and the investment needed at the university.

In Short

• Ashneer Grover joined debate on Delhi University infrastructure via X post
• Grover claimed DU infrastructure is crumbling, affecting student safety
• Suggested Rs 20,000 crore investment needed for DU to be world-class

BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover has joined a debate over Delhi University’s infrastructure after responding to an X user's post where he compared the number of university hostels built since 2014 with the number of (Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP offices constructed during the same period.

The original post was shared by X user Ankit Mayank, who wrote, “Number of Delhi University hostels built after 2014 - ZERO” and “Number of lavish BJP Offices built after 2014 - 560+”, before adding, “Priorities matter!”

Grover responded to the post and raised concerns about the state of infrastructure at Delhi University. “Delhi University infrastructure is crumbling,” he wrote, arguing that even students who could afford overseas education were choosing foreign universities because of concerns around safety and quality of life.

“Jo afford kar sakte hai - aur jinke bachhe honhaar bhi hai - woh bhi foreign university isiliye bhejte hai apne bachho ko! (Those who can afford it, and whose children are talented, also send their children to foreign universities for this reason.)” Grover wrote.

He went on to suggest that Delhi University would need at least $2 billion (around Rs 20,000 crore) in investment to become “world-class.”

Take a look at the post here:

The post received support from some X users, with one person agreeing that Delhi University’s infrastructure, particularly its basic engineering and facilities, needed urgent attention.

Another user, identifying themselves as a Delhi resident, recalled securing admission to the university around two decades ago and said they could not imagine the situation students faced today.

A user also said the university should first ensure basic services before aiming for “world-class” infrastructure. They also questioned the priority given to political offices, arguing that the government's intention and priorities could make better university facilities possible.

Grover’s post turned a comparison shared on X into a detailed discussion about what students need from one of India’s most prominent public universities, not just world-class facilities, but basic infrastructure and a better quality of life on campus.

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