BJP leader attacks Punjab government after AAP MLA raises teacher shortage

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tarun Chugh has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab after one of its legislators raised concerns about teacher shortages in government schools. Chugh, a Rajya Sabha MP, said on Sunday that the complaint by AAP MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana exposed a gap between the government’s claims of an education revolution and conditions in some schools. Maiserkhana represents the Maur area of Bathinda district.

The MLA had gone live on Facebook a day earlier, saying he was frustrated that his concerns about teacher shortages in his home constituency had not been addressed. The AAP rejected his claims and suspended him for what it described as anti-party activities and indiscipline. Chugh said the government’s own legislator had raised questions about school conditions.

He alleged that some government schools lacked benches, proper roofs and other basic facilities, and said teachers were protesting over their demands and facing police action. The BJP leader framed the issue as both an education and civil-rights concern. He said employees, teachers and other groups should be able to raise legitimate demands peacefully, and argued that law and order should include due process and respect for the right to dissent.

Chugh also criticised the contrast between Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s public description of himself as the son of a teacher and the continuing protests by teachers. He said education could not be transformed through slogans and called for more teachers, improved infrastructure, modern facilities and dignity for the teaching profession. The source material includes no response from the Punjab government beyond the AAP’s rejection of Maiserkhana’s claims and his suspension.

Chugh used the controversy to highlight initiatives he said were being pursued in Amritsar, including a proposed Kendriya Vidyalaya, a possible central university serving Amritsar and Gurdaspur, and transport links. He said he had discussed those initiatives with Union ministers and claimed that Vande Bharat connectivity to Amritsar had become a reality. The available account does not provide independent details about the proposals or the number of schools affected by the reported teacher shortage.