AAP and Congress Spar Over Punjab School Audit, Sisodia Challenges Pilot to Himachal Test
Congress and AAP clash over Punjab government schools after Sachin Pilot questioned a school audit; Manish Sisodia proposes a joint Punjab-Himachal audit.
A political confrontation between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party over the state of government schools in Punjab has sharpened, with the two sides trading challenges over how education reforms should be assessed.
The dispute was triggered by Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who questioned a school audit conducted in Punjab. Writing on X, Pilot said anyone would welcome an audit of schools in Punjab or elsewhere, but asked that the exercise be carried out with the same scrutiny applied to other governments. He argued that Punjab should not receive a special exemption, nor should AAP be given what he described as a friendly one.
His remarks were read as a direct challenge to the AAP government's claims about its education model and the condition of government schools in the state.
The debate gathered pace after Saurav Das posted about his team's audit of schools in Ludhiana. Das said the team visited government schools and was impressed by the Schools of Eminence, noting that most of the 20 points assessed came out on the positive side. He also said some problems were found during the exercise.
According to Das, the concerns were conveyed to Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, who agreed to meet the team after the issues were raised. Das said the team pressed for the problems to be resolved immediately, and that the minister assured swift action.
The findings gave the Congress fresh grounds to question the wider claims surrounding Punjab's education model.
AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia responded directly to Pilot, framing the issue as a comparison between Punjab and Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh. Sisodia said AAP could show 1,000 excellent schools and asked whether the Congress could point to a similar number in Himachal Pradesh.
He proposed that the two sides jointly audit government schools in both states, asking whether the challenge would be accepted.
With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, education is emerging as a significant battleground between AAP and Congress, as both parties press the other to subject their claims to an independent and comparable review.