In a resounding endorsement of the AAP-led Punjab government’s strategy to tackle Punjab’s drug crisis, senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia declared that Arvind Kejriwal’s two-pronged solution—ruthless crackdown on peddlers and transformative education for children—is dismantling the drug mafia’s grip on the state.
Speaking during his visit to a newly constructed government school in Nawanshahr with CM Bhagwant Mann, Manish Sisodia said, “With excellent education, children will steer clear of drugs and the drug trade.” He asserted that the ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign is already shaking the foundations of Punjab’s narcotics network.
Addressing the gathering, former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said, “When I stepped inside this school, I felt immense happiness. The building is so magnificent that even most private schools cannot compare. But a beautiful building alone does not make a great school—if that were the case, 5-star hotels and palaces would have been enough to educate children. Punjab’s future is bright and in safe hands under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.”
The former Delhi Education Minister added that what makes this school truly excellent is not just the infrastructure, but the outstanding teachers. “Every child and parent we met today praised not only the school, but especially the teachers. They are truly remarkable,” Manish Sisodia said. “Engineers construct buildings, but teachers turn them into schools. The government built this excellent facility, and the teachers have transformed it into an institution of learning.”
Manish Sisodia emphasized that the children of Punjab are full of dreams and confidence—they just need a little support to fulfill their potential. Recalling the early days of AAP’s outreach in Punjab, he said, “Three years ago, I was the Education Minister in Delhi, but I was nobody in Punjab. Yet Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann went to every village and told people: ‘Give us one chance. Vote for Mann Sahab. We will provide your children with world-class schools, excellent education and a better future.’”
Manish Sisodia highlighted that AAP’s politics doesn’t rely on wealth or communal division. “We don’t have property empires or the politics of hate to offer. All we have is a vision to educate your children. That’s what Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann bring to the politics of this country.”
The AAP leader proudly stated that over the past three years, the Mann government has upgraded more than 12,000 government schools across Punjab. Over 29 lakh children are now studying in these revitalized schools, where they receive quality education in modern classrooms.
“Three years ago, when we campaigned in villages, we saw schools with broken walls, no benches, no bathrooms, and no clean drinking water. Today, not a single school in Punjab has children sitting on the floor. All have proper benches, high-tech labs, libraries, and secure boundary walls,” said Manish Sisodia.
He praised the dedication of government school teachers, saying they are among the best in the country. “Unlike private schools, government school teachers clear tough exams and rigorous processes to get selected. They are highly talented, but earlier governments failed to provide them with the necessary facilities. We changed that.”
Highlighting the success of AAP’s education model, Manish Sisodia shared that 189 students from Punjab’s government schools have cleared the JEE exam and will now study in IITs—all without spending a single rupee on tuition or coaching. “This is the future we envision for Punjab. We want a drug-free Punjab where children are empowered through education, he asserted.
Two-Pronged Strategy to Combat Drug Menace
Discussing the ongoing battle against drugs in the state, Manish Sisodia said, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal have devised a dual solution—on one hand, hit drug traffickers so hard that they flee the state or abandon the trade altogether; and on the other, educate children so well that they never fall into the trap of drugs or drug dealing.”
He credited CM Bhagwant Mann’s leadership for launching a ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign that is severely denting the operations of drug mafias in the state.
“When schools in a state become this exceptional, no one can stop its progress. A nation cannot rise by giving excellent education to a few and makeshift education to the rest. Every child in Punjab must receive world-class education—and that’s exactly what we are delivering,” said Manish Sisodia.
Interacting with parents at the event, the senior AAP leader said, “Every parent I met today is proud of the education their child is receiving. No tuition fee, no cost for books or uniforms—just excellent schooling and a secure future. This transformation is the result of the trust people placed in Arvind Kejriwal and Mann three years ago.”
“This one opportunity that the people of Punjab gave us has already begun to transform the entire state. These schools are just the beginning of a new, empowered, drug-free, and educated Punjab,” concluded Manish Sisodia.
