Jalandhar(19/04/2025): sukhpal khaira said As an elected representative, I unequivocally condemn the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s so called “Sikhya Kranti” campaign under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
This initiative is a blatant exercise in deception, propped up by fictitious claims and a reckless spree of foundation stone laying ceremonies designed to mislead the people of Punjab. Far from revolutionizing education, this campaign exposes the AAP government’s penchant for prioritizing publicity stunts over substantive reforms, betraying the trust of Punjab’s citizens.
The AAP government’s much-hyped “Sikhya Kranti,” a 54-day “education festival,” claims to encompass 25,000 projects worth Rs.2,000 crore across 12,000 government schools. However, these assertions crumble under scrutiny.
Investigations and public outcry have revealed that routine maintenance tasks such as repairing toilets, whitewashing walls, or fixing benches are being paraded as monumental achievements. In a particularly egregious case in Bathinda, a four-year-old boundary wall was scheduled for inauguration, only halted due to protests by local residents and farm unions. Such shameless misrepresentation is not a revolution but a mockery of Punjab’s education system and its people.
Adding insult to injury, the AAP government has embarked on an unprecedented “Foundation Stone Kranti,” plastering schools with thousands of plaques glorifying Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.
These plaques, often costing more than the minor works they commemorate, are a wasteful expenditure of public funds. In a shocking display of arrogance, an Amritsar school’s national anthem display was covered by a plaque, revealing AAP’s disregard for national pride in its pursuit of self-aggrandizement. This obsession with ceremonial photo-ops and ribbon cutting events underscores a governance model that values optics over outcomes.
The AAP’s misuse of Punjab’s teachers further highlights its misplaced priorities. Educators are being coerced into organizing these events, often at personal expense, and even pressured to use Chief Minister Mann’s photograph as their WhatsApp display pictures. This is a gross violation of their dignity and an attempt to transform respected professionals into tools of political propaganda. Such authoritarian tactics have no place in a democratic society and stand in stark contrast to AAP’s earlier promises of transparent and people centric governance.
Equally troubling is the AAP government’s practice of claiming credit for projects initiated by previous administrations, local NGOs, or NRI donors. In multiple instances, foundation stones laid by others have been dismantled to make way for new plaques bearing the names of AAP leaders. This unethical erasure of others’ contributions is a betrayal of Punjab’s collective spirit and an attempt to rewrite history for political mileage. For example, in Moga, a school received five plaques for minor works while lacking basic academic streams like science and commerce a glaring reminder of AAP’s failure to address systemic deficiencies.
The state of Punjab’s education system remains dire, with thousands of vacant teaching posts, schools without principals or lecturers, and inadequate infrastructure. Yet, instead of addressing these critical issues, the AAP government is squandering resources on superficial initiatives and self promotion. The Sikhya Kranti campaign is a textbook example of AAP’s governance failures loud promises, misleading claims, and negligible delivery. Punjab’s children deserve better than a government that prioritizes plaques over progress and ceremonies over classrooms.
I call upon the people of Punjab to see through this façade and demand accountability from the Bhagwant Mann government. The AAP must cease its wasteful expenditure on plaques and ceremonies, halt its coercive tactics against teachers, and focus on genuine educational reforms. This includes recruiting teachers, filling vacant posts, upgrading school infrastructure, and ensuring access to quality education for all.
The Congress party stands resolute in exposing these falsehoods and advocating for a transparent, inclusive, and progressive education system that empowers Punjab’s youth.
As a representative of the people, I pledge to continue raising these issues in the Punjab Legislative Assembly and beyond, ensuring that the voices of Punjab’s citizens are heard. Let us unite to hold this government accountable and work toward a future where education is a priority, not a prop for political theatrics.
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Politics