हिंदी
Chandigarh, 10 March 2025
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is misusing the education department to influence the political thinking of 18-year-old voters in its favor, said Punjab BJP media head Vineet Joshi, during a press conference on Monday.
Joshi said that AAP is resorting to such tactics after facing electoral setbacks, including its loss in 10 out of 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, a significant defeat in recent local body elections. The remaining gap was filled by the defeat of the AAP party and its supremo Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi elections. The AAP party, enraged by all this, is trying to influence the thinking of young voters in its favour through the education department of Punjab.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Joshi criticized the inclusion of AAP related questions in the Punjab School Education Board’s Class 12 political science examination held on March 4. He pointed out that one of the questions asked students to state the year AAP was established, while another required them to describe the party’s policies and programs.
“If students are being asked to describe AAP’s policies and programs, it implies that they have been taught about them throughout the academic year.
This raises concerns about an attempt to shape the political perspective of young voters ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections,” Joshi stated.
He further questioned why AAP was given exclusive mention in the exam, while other significant political parties, such as the Shiromani Akali Dal—India’s oldest regional party—Congress, which has governed the country for the longest period, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been in power at the Centre for 11 years, were omitted.
“We strongly condemn AAP’s political interference in Punjab’s education system. The education department should remain impartial and free from any political propaganda,” he said.
