Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal has launched a sharp counterattack against the Bharatiya Janata Party over alleged false video campaigns targeting government schools in Punjab. Responding to the ongoing political friction, Kejriwal threw down an open challenge, inviting the BJP to compile a list of 1,000 schools each from Gujarat and Punjab so that the public and media can jointly inspect them to determine which state actually maintains better educational institutions.
Releasing a video statement, Kejriwal accused the opposition of deliberately trying to defame Punjab schools. He noted that while the BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 30 years, his own party has governed Punjab for only four and a half years. Challenging their administrative claims, he stated that he is ready to provide a list of 1,000 Punjab schools, and the BJP should present an equivalent list from Gujarat, allowing the entire country to witness a joint inspection of educational infrastructure in both regions.
Highlighting the scale of infrastructural overhaul, Kejriwal stated that out of approximately 19,700 government schools across Punjab, 19,200 have been transformed into exceptional learning centers, while work on the remaining 500 schools is actively underway and expected to be completed within the next year and a half. He remarked that critics failed to maintain their own educational facilities but quickly resorted to disparaging Punjab schools after independent inspections began highlighting poor conditions elsewhere.
Claiming top honors in the education sector, Kejriwal asserted that Punjab now ranks number one across the entire country in government school education. He pointed out that this milestone is backed by data from the NITI Aayog report, noting that Punjab has successfully surpassed Kerala. When his administration assumed office in 2022, Punjab stood at the 28th position nationwide, but has climbed to the summit in just four and a half years of governance.
Addressing the circulation of outdated footage, Kejriwal pointed out that critics have been unearthing a video from 2018 to falsely portray current institutions in a bad light. He clarified that the infrastructure was dilapidated during that period because the Congress party was in power, and the BJP itself held governance until 2017, leaving the schools in disarray before the current administration rebuilt them.
Emphasizing a transparent approach to governance, Kejriwal cited a recent instance where Shiromani Akali Dal supporter Ratan Dhillon posted about a school on social media. He noted that the state education minister immediately invited him and released financial grants for that specific institution, prompting Dhillon to publicly praise the government's prompt action. He reiterated that the administration welcomes constructive criticism and is ready to correct any genuine flaws, but urged opponents not to malign the people of Punjab through coordinated propaganda.
Concluding his remarks, Kejriwal credited the transformation of Punjab schools to a collective community effort involving teachers, principals, parents, and students. He warned against using old clips or AI-generated fake images to blemish the hard-earned progress of these institutions. Challenging the opposition's resolve, he reiterated that a joint public inspection would clearly reveal whether a 30-year administration in Gujarat or a four-and-a-half-year administration in Punjab delivers superior results.
