Analysis: Drugs To Corruption To Education, AAP In Punjab Faces Heat On Many Fronts

The latest flashpoint is education, after AAP's Maur MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana publicly raised questions over teacher shortages in government schools and was subsequently suspended by the party for alleged indiscipline and anti-party activities.

04 Oct 2026, 17:32 · NDTV

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AAP Punjab faces Opposition attacks on drug control, corruption, education, and law and order
AAP's own MLA was suspended after criticising teacher shortages in government schools
BJP's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab' campaign targets AAP's handling of the drug menace

How might this internal dissent affect AAP's election prospects?
Chandigarh:

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is facing a widening Opposition offensive, with political rivals targeting it over the drug menace, corruption allegations, education, law and order, and the handling of protests. The latest flashpoint is education, after AAP's Maur MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana publicly raised questions over teacher shortages in government schools and was subsequently suspended by the party for alleged indiscipline and anti-party activities.

The controversy has handed the BJP and Congress fresh ammunition to question AAP's much-publicised "education revolution".

Education: Own MLA's Criticism

In a video, Mau MLA Maiserkhana raised concerns over staff shortages in government schools, including a School of Eminence, and questioned the government's claims.

Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh hit out at the AAP government, saying the episode had exposed the gap between its claims and the ground reality. "The AAP MLA himself has exposed AAP's authoritarianism and the falsehood of its much-publicised education revolution," Pargat Singh said.

BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also targeted the government, questioning whether ordinary parents and teachers could expect to be heard if even an AAP MLA's concerns were not addressed.

"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?" Bittu said.

BJP leader Tarun Chugh said, "AAP's so-called education revolution is being exposed by its own legislators and Punjab's teachers... Education cannot be transformed through slogans. Punjab needs adequate teachers, better infrastructure, modern facilities and dignity for the teaching community."

The ruling party has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the school cited by the MLA has adequate staffing against sanctioned posts. It described his allegations as politically motivated.

Drugs: BJP's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab' Plank

Before education emerged as the latest flashpoint, the drug menace had become one of the biggest political battlegrounds in Punjab. The BJP's statewide 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' covered all 117 constituencies, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah making drug eradication a central theme of his Jalandhar rally. Shah accused the state government of failing to tackle the drug menace and promised that a BJP government would make Punjab drug-free by December 31, 2029.

The BJP has continued to attack AAP over drugs, while the ruling party has hit back by questioning the BJP's record during the previous SAD-BJP governments and raising questions over the role of the Centre in tackling cross-border drug trafficking.

Corruption: A Mohali Controversy

Corruption allegations have provided another major line of attack against the Mann government. The Enforcement Directorate's searches at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) triggered a political confrontation between AAP and the BJP-led Centre, with allegations surrounding land deals and financial irregularities being raised during the controversy.

The AAP has accused the Centre of using central agencies to target the state government, while the state's Opposition has used the ED action to question transparency and governance in Punjab.

Law And Order Adding To Pressure

The Opposition has also repeatedly targeted the Mann government over law and order and its handling of protests by teachers, employees and other groups. Chugh linked the teachers' protests to the broader question of democratic rights, saying peaceful dissent should not be dealt with through excessive force.

"Law and order does not simply mean controlling crime. It also means protecting citizens, ensuring due process and respecting the democratic right to peacefully dissent," Chugh said.

For AAP, the challenge is to defend its record on the very issues on which it built its governance narrative.

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