Punjab: AAP MLA flags staff shortage in govt schools his children go to, party suspends him

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday suspended Maur MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana for alleged “anti-party activities”, barely an hour after he released an emotional video alleging that the Punjab government had failed to address teacher shortages in state-run schools, including those attended by his two children.

The suspension order, issued by AAP state general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat, said Maiserkhana had been found involved in “anti-party activities and indiscipline” and suspended his primary membership of the party with immediate effect.

Maiserkhana is the only MLA in the 117-member Punjab Assembly whose two children attend government schools, according to an investigation by The Indian Express published in March.

In his video, the first-time MLA said he regretted enrolling his children in government schools, alleging that their “future was at stake” because of a shortage of teachers.

“My children study where the children of 3 crore common Punjabis also study… and that’s why I am speaking today as a father. The future of my children is at stake,” he said.

Maiserkhana alleged that he had repeatedly raised the issue with senior party leaders, including former Delhi education minister and Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia, but his concerns had not been addressed. He also claimed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann did not meet him.

“I have got tired of saying that please give teachers, please give teachers,” he said, adding that he had told Sisodia that his children studied in government schools where there were not enough teachers.

Questioning the AAP government's claims of an education revolution, Maiserkhana said even the Schools of Eminence established as model institutions lacked adequate teachers.

He said he expected to be denied a ticket for the 2027 Assembly polls but would continue raising issues concerning people.

“If I won’t raise voice, who will? Did I do anything wrong by enrolling my kids in a government school?” he said.

Maiserkhana's son is enrolled in a School of Eminence in Bathinda district, while his daughter attends another state-run primary school.

The AAP, however, rejected his allegations and said the MLA had attempted to defame the party by falsely claiming that only one teacher was on duty at the School of Eminence in Bathinda.

According to an official record issued by the school's principal on September 29, the party said, the institution had 30 sanctioned teaching posts, of which 25 were filled. Its staff comprised one principal, seven lecturers, 15 Master Cadre teachers and two computer science teachers.

The school had 580 students from Classes 6 to 12 across 19 sections, the party said. Five sanctioned teaching posts were vacant, while the principal had already sought their filling and requested additional posts where required.

“The official record clearly establishes that the claim of there being only one teacher in the entire school was factually incorrect,” the AAP said.

The party said discipline was “paramount” and that elected representatives were expected to uphold its principles and maintain factual accuracy while speaking publicly.

“Attempts to spread misinformation among the public or damage the party’s image would not be tolerated, irrespective of the position held by the person concerned,” it said.

BJP leaders criticised the AAP over Maiserkhana's allegations, saying they undermined the ruling party's claims of an education revolution.

Former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said the MLA's remarks raised questions about the situation faced by ordinary families and students across Punjab.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the AAP's “Sikhya Kranti” had been exposed by its own MLA and questioned the government's spending on promoting Schools of Eminence instead of recruiting staff.

Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh also attacked the AAP's education record, saying Maiserkhana's allegations had exposed what he called the government's “false education revolution”.

Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the incident raised questions about the accessibility of the chief minister even to ruling-party MLAs.

Maiserkhana, an agriculturist, won the Maur seat in Bathinda district by a margin of more than 35,000 votes in the 2022 Assembly elections.

In an earlier interaction with The Indian Express, Maiserkhana had said he chose government schools for his children because “if we won’t admit our own children in government schools, how can we convince the people to do that?”

He had said his decision encouraged around 50 other parents to follow suit. He had shifted his son from a local convent school to a government school during the Covid pandemic, while his daughter was enrolled directly in a state-run school.