Punjab Ruling Party Faces Internal Strife as Suspended MLA Criticizes Government Schools

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab has suspended Maur MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana for alleged anti-party activities after he released a video criticizing the state government over teacher shortages in government schools. Maiserkhana is the only legislator in the 117-member Punjab Assembly who sends his children to state-run institutions. He stated that he raised the issue repeatedly with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia without receiving a response, and he indicated he might be denied a party ticket in the upcoming February 2027 assembly elections. Opposition parties including Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and the BJP seized on his comments to argue that the MLA exposed the reality behind the party's claims of an education revolution. The AAP rejected the allegations as false and aimed at defaming the organization.

Background

This suspension follows earlier friction with other party members, including Sanour MLA Harmit Singh Pathanmajra, whose security cover was withdrawn and who was booked in a criminal case after criticizing party leadership, and Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who was suspended for five years in June 2025 after opposing the arrest of an opposition leader. Earlier in April, seven of the party's ten Rajya Sabha MPs, including six from Punjab, crossed over to the BJP using the two-thirds defection provision. New Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Pargat Singh claimed the latest events show the state is being run by leaders from Delhi, while state AAP general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat maintained that internal disagreements should be raised through proper party channels rather than public airing.

Context

Political parties often face internal tensions as election dates draw closer and local representatives voice constituency-level grievances against central leadership. The Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab in 2022 by winning 92 out of 117 seats, making unity a central focus for maintaining its legislative majority.