As elections to the State Assembly draw closer in Punjab, issues related to improving education and health services resonate among voters who feel these sectors have been neglected by the successive Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments.
In Nawanshahr town, Gurpreet Singh, 30, running a tea stall in a makeshift tent, is concerned about her four-year-old daughter’s education. “I want to get my daughter to study in a private school. One among the best in the town charges ₹3,000 monthly fees, apart from admission charges and other expenses, which is beyond my reach, but I’ll do whatever it takes for me to get her admitted to the private school. I don’t have confidence in the schools run by the government. I am illiterate but I want my daughter to get the best education. I have heard that Bhagwant Mann’s party [the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP] has built good government schools in Delhi and quality education is given there. I hope if they [the AAP] are given a chance in Punjab, they can improve the condition of schools and schooling. I am fed up with the promises extended by traditional parties,” said Ms. Singh, who lives in the nearby Bhan Mazara village and comes to the town every day to earn ₹300-400 daily.
In Punjab, the AAP, which is trying to wrest power from the ruling Congress, is selling its “Delhi model of governance” and seeking “one chance” from the voters to form the next government. The party, among its other promises, says it will rejuvenate government schools in Punjab’s cities and villages to provide “world class” education. Also, it has promised a range of health facilities to people free of cost in government hospitals.
“The Congress and SAD have been playing a friendly match for years. Once in power, they conveniently forget their promises. Education and health are two issues that will decide my vote this time. In 2014, my mother died of blood cancer. My family spent about ₹25 lakh on her treatment in private hospitals. All our savings went into the treatment. So many years have passed but we are still struggling to come back financially. If good and cheap treatment facilities were available in government hospitals, it would have been a great help,” said a dhaba owner on the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway at Baba Bakala, requesting anonymity.
Pointing out that the yearly expenses on the education of his two children at a private school is over ₹3 lakh, he said that quality education at government schools was a distant dream. “I have heard in Delhi the situation of government schools has improved. If that’s true, then I think a change in government beyond the traditional parties should be tested in this election,” he added.
In 2015, after the incident of sacrilege concerning the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village of Faridkot district, widespread protests were witnessed in the State. This remained a key political issue in the 2017 Assembly polls and was considered one of the main reasons behind the SAD’s ouster from power. In 2022, though the issue has been extensively raised by political parties, it appears people are more keen on holding political parties to their commitments on development, education and health.
“Sacrilege is no more an issue here now. I’m angry, I’m pained, but we have to move on. I have started to lose faith in politicians. In the name of development, a stretch of inter-lock tiles has been laid in the past years on market roads. Is this development? We need factories where youth can go and work, which will eventually keep drugs at bay as well,” said Baldev Singh, who runs an eatery near the Jhandewala Chowk in Faridkot.
“If I get free or cheap but quality education and health services in the government sector, then our life would be a little easier. Most of our earnings are drained in private schools and hospitals, and this is due to the indifferent attitude of successive governments. There’s a lot of noise about bringing a change in Punjab. Let’s see!” he said.
