AAP MLA raises teacher shortage issue at Punjab schools, party expels him

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has expelled its Maur MLA Sukhvir Singh Maiserkhana from the party, citing alleged "anti-party activities" and "indiscipline", hours after the legislator publicly questioned the Punjab government over vacant teaching posts in government schools in his constituency.

The action, that has come months ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, has triggered a political confrontation, with the BJP using the episode to target Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP government over its education claims.

In an official communication, AAP Punjab General Secretary Harchand Singh Barsat informed Maiserkhana that his primary membership of the party had been suspended with immediate effect.

The communication said the MLA had been found involved in "anti-party activities and indiscipline". The party also accused him of spreading false rumours and tarnishing its image. It claimed that the school referred to by the MLA already had 25 teachers on its staff.

The action came after Maiserkhana went live on social media and spoke at length about the shortage of teachers in schools in his constituency. In the nearly 14-minute video, he became emotional while describing the difficulties faced by students and questioned the functioning of the government despite repeatedly raising the issue with the party leadership.

Maiserkhana said he had taken up the issue of vacant teaching posts with the party high command, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

He specifically referred to the School of Eminence where his children study, saying he had personally asked students and the principal about the availability of teachers.

"I ask my children what they studied. They tell me there is a shortage of teachers. I ask the principal, and he asks me to get the staff strength completed. What is my children’s fault?" he said.

The MLA also expressed frustration over what he described as repeated attempts to have the vacancies filled.

"I have become tired of saying that teachers should be appointed. I am tired of raising this issue again and again. Let them cut my ticket if they want to. I am a man of principles. How long can I keep tolerating this? This is the situation of an MLA I did not join the party expecting this," he said.

Maiserkhana further claimed that he had been called to meet the Chief Minister but was not given an appointment.

He said the issue was not about his political career or a party ticket but about the education of children. “What is more important than the education of children? If there is nothing in the schools, then what is the point of asking people to vote?” he asked.

He also raised the issue of a government school in Burj Sahima village, claiming that it had not been upgraded despite meeting the required conditions.BJP ATTACKS CM, AAP OVER ACTION

The controversy has since drawn a sharp response from the BJP. Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu attacked the Mann government, saying the MLA’s emotional video had brought the issue of teacher shortages into public focus.

Bittu said the episode raised questions about whether the government was listening even to its own legislators.

"If the Chief Minister does not have the time to listen to the grievances of his own MLAs, how can ordinary parents, teachers, and students in Punjab expect him to hear them out?" he said.

Bittu further alleged that the incident exposed a gap between the AAP government’s claims on education and conditions in government schools, and demanded answers on vacant posts and the implementation of education reforms.

"This is the true picture of the much-touted 'education revolution.' For months, I have been raising the issue of the teacher shortage and the dismal state of the education system in Punjab's government schools. Today, an AAP MLA has exposed this very truth from within the party itself,” Bittu said.

The episode now leaves Maiserkhana outside the AAP organisation even as he remains the elected MLA from Maur.

The immediate political focus is likely to remain on the circumstances surrounding his expulsion, the party’s allegations against him and the teacher vacancies he raised, with the BJP expected to continue pressing the Mann government on the issue.- Ends

Kamaljit Sandhu is an award winning journalist working as Deputy Editor in India Today. She has nearly two decades of experience as a full time TV journalist. She covers "conflict" regions, Internal security matters, MEA and Parliament. Her work has often led to crisscrossing the country. She has also traveled to Pakistan and Iran, in pursuit of news stories. In 2019, she received the ENBA Award for best news programming for her ground report on "surviving Bastar" which was based on the government's policy on inducting tribals in Crpf in chattisgarh to counter naxals.

Personal interests: Kamaljit likes travelling, interior decoration and playing scrabble, Has varied interests in sporting activities like swimming, badminton and Yoga.