The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday suspended Punjab MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana from the party over his "involvement in anti-party activities and indiscipline". Maiserkhana is a member of Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Maur constituency.
"It has come to the notice of the Party that you have been found involved in anti-party activities and indiscipline. In view of the above, your primary membership from the Party is suspended with immediate effect," AAP's Punjab unit said in statement.
The action against Maiserkhana comes hours after he questioned the AAP government over shortages of teachers in Punjab's school teachers during live on Facebook. In the 14.17 minutes video that has gone viral on social media, Maiserkhana he had repeatedly raised the issue with AAP's top brass, but no one paid any attention to this matter.
He claimed that he is the only MLA who has sent his children to government schools in Punjab. Furthermore, the first-time MLA said he was 'deeply hurt' and has been sidelined by the party, despite him playing a crucial role in strengthening the AAP's position at the grassroot level in Punjab.
"How long can I tolerate this?" a visibly emotional Maiserkhana said in the video. "I am tired of raising this issue again and again. Let them cut my ticket if they want to. I am a man of principles. How long can I keep tolerating this?"
"I do not fear such pressure. Even if you put me in jail, I will not come out. I will stay there. I am raising my voice for my children and for the children of the people," he added.
Maisarkhana's video gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to target the AAP and said the MLA has highlighted the state's condition under Arvind Kejriwal's party. Former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, in a post on X, said Maisarkhana has exposed the ground reality "behind Punjab’s much-publicised education model".
"When a ruling-party MLA has to come on social media and appeal for adequate teachers in schools in his own constituency, it raises serious questions about the situation faced by ordinary families and lakhs of students across Punjab," he said.
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