Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has challenged the BJP to compare government schools in Punjab and Gujarat, saying the two states should jointly inspect 1,000 schools each to assess their condition.
In a video message on Tuesday, Kejriwal said the BJP could provide a list of 1,000 government schools in Gujarat, while the AAP would provide a similar list from Punjab. He suggested that the comparison should take place in the presence of the media.
“I challenge the BJP: You have been in power in Gujarat for 30 years, and we have been in power in Punjab for four and a half years. I will give you a list of 1,000 schools in Punjab, and you give us a list of 1,000 schools in Gujarat. Let us inspect these schools together and see which ones are better,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal defends Punjab government schools
Kejriwal claimed that the Punjab government has significantly improved state-run schools since the AAP came to power in 2022.
He alleged that the BJP was trying to discredit Punjab’s government schools through what he described as “doctored, AI videos”.
According to Kejriwal, Punjab has around 19,700 government schools. He claimed that work has already been completed in about 19,200 schools, while improvement work is continuing in the remaining institutions.
He said the remaining schools are expected to be upgraded within the next one-and-a-half to two years.
‘People of Punjab improved schools’
Kejriwal also credited teachers, principals, parents and students for the changes in Punjab’s education system.
“We did not improve schools alone; the people of Punjab improved Punjab’s schools. The teachers of Punjab improved them, the principals of Punjab improved them, the parents and children — all of them together improved them,” he said.
He further claimed that Punjab’s position in school education had improved since the AAP government took charge.
The challenge comes amid a political debate between the AAP and BJP over the quality of government education in Punjab and Gujarat.
