Congress leader and Punjab party in-charge Sachin Pilot has challenged the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to apply the same standards while assessing government schools in Punjab that it has used while examining schools in other states.

Pilot’s remarks came after a CJP delegation visited government schools in Punjab as part of its “School Thik Karo” campaign. The delegation, led by its spokesperson Saurav Das, inspected schools in Ludhiana and highlighted both improvements and shortcomings in the state’s education infrastructure.

Responding to a social media post comparing the findings from Punjab with those from Rajasthan, Pilot questioned whether the organisation would evaluate Punjab’s schools with the same level of scrutiny it had demonstrated elsewhere.

Pilot said there should be no special treatment for Punjab and argued that the Aam Aadmi Party-led government should also face the same level of questioning and examination applied to governments in other states.

Pilot questions CJP’s approach to Punjab

The Congress leader’s comments followed observations by a Rajasthan-based journalist regarding the CJP’s school inspections.

The comparison centred on two contrasting findings. During an earlier inspection in Rajasthan, the organisation had reportedly highlighted a school operating from a stable. In Punjab, however, the delegation visited a School of Eminence that had facilities such as a swimming pool and modern laboratories.

Pilot used the comparison to question whether the same parameters were being applied consistently across states.

He argued that Punjab should not receive what he described as a “friendly exemption” simply because the state is governed by the AAP. His comments come at a politically significant time, with the Congress seeking to challenge the AAP’s position in Punjab ahead of the next state Assembly election.

CJP delegation inspects Punjab government schools

The CJP delegation led by Saurav Das visited three government schools in Punjab, including institutions in Ludhiana. The inspections were conducted under the organisation’s “School Thik Karo” initiative, which focuses on assessing the condition of government schools and drawing attention to shortcomings in education infrastructure.

One of the key institutions inspected was a School of Eminence. Das reportedly praised several aspects of the school’s infrastructure, including its swimming pool, ramps, artificial intelligence laboratory and computer laboratory.

According to the delegation’s assessment, a large majority of the points examined at the school were positive. Das nevertheless said that some issues were identified during the inspection and that these concerns were communicated to Punjab’s Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.

The delegation said the minister had agreed to meet them and assured them that the concerns would be addressed.

Punjab has thousands of government schools

Punjab has approximately 19,000 government schools, making the condition of public education infrastructure an important political and policy issue in the state.

The state government has also announced plans for 118 Schools of Eminence, designed to provide students with improved educational facilities and infrastructure. However, only a portion of the proposed institutions have been inaugurated so far.

The CJP’s inspection therefore highlighted both sides of the state’s education system: modern facilities at some upgraded institutions and ageing infrastructure at others.

Old infrastructure remains a concern

Apart from the School of Eminence, the delegation also visited the Government Senior Secondary School in Jandiali, an institution established in 1936, as well as a primary school in the area.

The delegation observed that the senior secondary school’s infrastructure remains largely old despite maintenance and repair work carried out over the years.

Das expressed concern about the condition of the infrastructure and said students at the school should also receive improved facilities. He called for greater attention from the Punjab government to address infrastructure-related problems.

The findings indicate that improvements in some government schools have not necessarily translated into uniform infrastructure standards across the state’s entire public education network.

AAP welcomes the school inspection

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the CJP’s intervention and thanked the organisation for drawing attention to problems faced by students in Punjab’s government schools.

Kejriwal said the party would work with the state government to address the concerns raised during the inspections.

The response suggests that the Punjab government is willing to consider the issues identified by the delegation, even as opposition parties continue to use the inspection findings to question the state’s education policies and implementation.

Political significance ahead of Punjab election

The dispute over the school inspections comes as Punjab moves closer to its next Assembly election, with the Congress attempting to regain political ground after losing power to the AAP in the 2022 election.

Pilot was recently appointed as the Congress’s Punjab in-charge, replacing former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. His latest remarks are therefore significant in the context of the Congress’s broader strategy to challenge the AAP government on governance and public-service delivery.

Education is likely to remain an important issue in the political debate, particularly because the AAP has frequently highlighted improvements in government schools as part of its governance model.

Pilot’s challenge to the CJP centres on the principle of consistent scrutiny. His argument is that Punjab should be examined using the same questions, standards and level of criticism applied to governments elsewhere.

The controversy consequently goes beyond the condition of individual schools and touches on a wider political debate over how governments should be evaluated on public education, infrastructure and delivery of services.