‘Cut My Ticket If You Want’: AAP MLA Sukhveer Maiserkhana takes on Punjab Govt over teachers shortage in schools
Babushahi Bureau
Bathinda (Punjab), October 3, 2026: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Maur, Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana, has publicly expressed his frustration with the Punjab Government, alleging that repeated complaints about teacher shortages and the condition of government schools in his constituency have gone unheard.
During a Facebook Live, Maiserkhana appeared emotional while raising questions over the implementation of the government’s ‘Sikhya Kranti’ programme. He said he had repeatedly urged authorities to address basic issues in schools and fill vacant teaching posts, but claimed that no one had paid heed to his concerns.
The sitting MLA also said that despite being a legislator of the ruling party, he had not been able to secure a meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to discuss the problems.
“If you want to cut my ticket, then cut it,” Maiserkhana said during the live session, while making it clear that he would continue raising issues concerning his constituency.
He specifically highlighted teacher shortages in government schools and questioned why schools that required additional staff continued to function with vacancies. He also referred to the issue of upgrading a government school in Burj Sahima village, claiming that it had met the required conditions but had not been upgraded.
Maiserkhana’s remarks have drawn attention because they come from a sitting MLA of the ruling party and directly question the government’s handling of its flagship education agenda.
The controversy also comes months after The Indian Express reported that Maiserkhana was the only AAP MLA with school-going children whose children were studying in government schools during the 2025-26 academic session. The report noted that 30 of the 31 AAP MLAs with school-going children had opted for private schools or institutions abroad for their children.
Opposition targets AAP government
Congress leaders Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Sukhpal Singh Khaira reacted to Maiserkhana’s remarks on social media.
Randhawa said the MLA’s comments raised questions about whether even elected representatives of the ruling party were able to get their grievances heard by the government.
Khaira targeted the AAP government’s ‘Sikhya Kranti’ claims, alleging that the programme was being promoted more through publicity than reflected in the ground situation. He also demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. These are opposition claims and were not independently established in the remarks.
Maiserkhana was elected from the Maur Assembly constituency in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections and is a sitting AAP legislator.