New Delhi, August 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday challenged the BJP to conduct a joint inspection of 1,000 government schools each in Gujarat and Punjab, amid a political row over the condition of government schools in Punjab.
Kejriwal said the BJP should identify 1,000 schools in Gujarat and allow Punjab to identify an equal number for inspection, arguing that the exercise would provide a direct comparison between the two states.
In a video statement, Kejriwal said that of Punjab’s approximately 19,700 government schools, around 19,200 had been transformed, while work was underway in the remaining 500.
He contrasted this with what he described as the BJP’s three decades in government in Gujarat, compared with around 4.5 years of the AAP government in Punjab.
Kejriwal also claimed that Punjab currently ranks first in the country in government school education, citing a NITI Aayog report. He said Punjab was ranked 28th when the AAP government took office in 2022 and had subsequently moved to the top position, surpassing Kerala.
The AAP leader accused the BJP of targeting Punjab’s government schools after inspections of schools in BJP-ruled states allegedly highlighted their condition.
“Ever since the Cockroach Janata Party people started inspecting schools in BJP-ruled states, the poor condition of their schools has been coming to light,” Kejriwal said, using a term to refer to the BJP.
He also responded to criticism based on videos of schools in Punjab, alleging that some of the footage being circulated dated back to 2018, before the AAP government came to power.
Kejriwal said one such school had been in poor condition when the video was recorded but had subsequently been transformed. He accused critics of using old footage to portray the current condition of government schools.
He said the AAP government had worked with teachers, principals, parents and students to improve schools and urged political opponents not to discredit their efforts.
Kejriwal also cited an instance involving Akali Dal supporter Rattan Dhillon, saying that after Dhillon raised concerns about a school on social media, the Education Minister contacted him and released a grant for the institution. According to Kejriwal, Dhillon subsequently posted a message praising the minister and the government.
“Our intentions are clear and we want to improve schools. People should point out our genuine mistakes and we will fix them,” Kejriwal said, while opposing what he described as deliberate defamation and the circulation of old videos or AI-generated images.
He said the transformation of Punjab’s schools had been a collective effort and challenged the BJP to accept his proposal for a joint inspection.
“If the BJP has the courage, let them accept this challenge. They name 1,000 schools and we will name 1,000 schools. The entire country will watch the joint inspection and see whether Gujarat’s 30-year-old government is better or Punjab’s 4.5-year-old Aam Aadmi Party government,” Kejriwal said.
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