AAP suspends Punjab MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana over teacher shortage video

The Aam Aadmi Party has suspended its Punjab legislator Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana after he posted an emotional video on social media complaining about a shortage of teachers in state-run schools.

Maiserkhana, who represents the Maur constituency in Bathinda, claimed that his private pleas to party bosses and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had been completely ignored.

The party rejected his claims and suspended his primary membership with immediate effect, accusing him of indiscipline, anti-party activities, and spreading rumours.

What did the MLA say in his video?

In a 14-minute Facebook live broadcast, Maiserkhana became visibly emotional while discussing the lack of teaching staff in his area. He focused on the School of Eminence, a government institution where his own son studies.

He said he is the only ruling-party lawmaker in Punjab whose children attend a state school, but that the institution is struggling to provide a proper education.

"I ask my children what they studied," Maiserkhana said in the video. "They tell me there is a shortage of teachers. I ask the principal, and he asks me to get the staff strength completed. What is my children's fault?"

The legislator claimed he had tried to resolve the issue internally, even seeking an audience with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and senior leader Manish Sisodia, but was denied a meeting. He added that he expected his outburst might cost him his political career and a ticket in the upcoming assembly elections, but said he had to speak out.

"How long can I keep tolerating this?" he asked. "If there is nothing in the schools, then what is the point of asking people to vote?"

Why did the party suspend him?

The party leadership responded swiftly to the video. AAP Punjab General Secretary Harchand Singh Barsat issued an official notice suspending Maiserkhana's primary membership.

The party leadership accused him of engaging in anti-party activities and attempting to tarnish its image. Contrary to the MLA's claims about a severe lack of staff, the AAP stated that the school Maiserkhana referenced actually has 25 teachers on its payroll.

While Maiserkhana remains the elected MLA for Maur, he is now effectively an independent outside the party organisation.

How has the opposition responded?

The public dispute has handed immediate political ammunition to opponents of the Punjab government.

BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu shared the video online, arguing that the lawmaker's tears exposed the reality behind the government's highly publicised education reforms.

"When a ruling-party MLA has to come on social media and appeal for adequate teachers in schools in his own constituency, it raises serious questions about the situation faced by ordinary families," Bittu said.

Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also criticised the administration, pointing out how difficult it must be for ordinary citizens to reach the government if its own representatives cannot.

"If a ruling-party MLA cannot even get an appointment with his chief minister, then what does that say about the ordinary people who are trying to be heard?" Randhawa asked.