Khaira calls AAP’s ‘Sikhya Kranti’ a facade

Senior Congress leader and MLA Sukhpal Khaira has criticised the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s “Sikhya Kranti” campaign, calling it a facade of false promises and a carefully staged political gimmick rather than a genuine effort to reform the state’s ailing education system.

In a detailed press statement issued here today, Khaira alleged that the AAP government’s much-publicised 54-day education drive, which claims to cover 25,000 projects across 12,000 government schools with a budget of ₹2,000 crore, is built on inflated figures and superficial efforts.

“What is being showcased as transformative work often amounts to routine maintenance — whitewashing, repairing benches and fixing toilets — presented with unnecessary fanfare,” Khaira said.

Citing specific incidents, Khaira pointed to a case in Bathinda where a four-year-old boundary wall was reportedly scheduled for inauguration under the campaign, only to be cancelled following protests by local residents and farm unions.

“This reflects the campaign’s hollow foundation and its obsession with optics over substance,” he noted.

Khaira also expressed serious concern over what he termed the AAP government’s “Foundation Stone Kranti,” where thousands of plaques have been installed across schools, prominently bearing the names and images of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. In some instances, Khaira alleged the plaques have cost more than the work they commemorate.

In a particularly controversial case, a plaque in an Amritsar school reportedly covered a display of the National Anthem. Khaira called the act “disrespectful” and symbolic of the government’s “prioritisation of political self-promotion over national pride.”

The misuse of teachers has also come under Khaira’s criticism. According to his statement, teachers have been compelled to organise events, often at their own expense, and in some cases, allegedly pressured to use the Chief Minister’s photograph as their WhatsApp display picture. “Such actions not only undermine the dignity of teachers but also reflect an alarming trend of politicizing the education system,” Khaira stated.

Jalandhar