1 week ago
Old Punjab School Video Sparks AAP-BJP Social Media Clash
Harbhajan Singh shared a video showing a Punjab school with damaged facilities.
He used it to criticize the AAP government.
The education minister said the video was actually from 2018.
That was before the current AAP government and during a Congress-led government.
The minister also said the school had improved and now had clean toilets and running water.
A similar video shared earlier by Singh was found to be from Rajasthan, not Punjab.
Singh continued posting videos and asking people to check where they came from.
The argument is now about both school conditions and whether politicians verify videos before sharing them.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh reposted a school video on August 19 that he said showed poor facilities in Punjab.
The footage was identified as being from 2018, when Punjab was governed by Congress under Captain Amarinder Singh.
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the school now had clean washrooms, running water and a sanitary-pad vending machine.
Harbhajan Singh did not immediately withdraw the post and later shared more videos asking users to identify their locations.
The dispute has intensified debate over the use of old or misidentified social-media footage in Punjab’s political battles.
- Who
- BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh and Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains were central to the dispute; AAP, BJP and Congress were involved in the wider political argument.
- What
- Harbhajan Singh reposted a video alleging poor conditions at a Punjab government school, while Bains said it was old and no longer reflected the school’s condition.
- Where
- The school was identified as Government High School in Jalla village, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib district, Punjab; the earlier disputed video came from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.
- When
- The school video was reposted on August 19; Bains responded after identifying it as footage from 2018. A related video was identified as being from Rajasthan earlier in August.
- Why
- The video was used to criticize the AAP government’s record, while Bains said old or inaccurate footage was being used to portray Punjab negatively.
AAP and Government Response
BJP Criticism
Meaning of the school video
AAP and Government Response
Harjot Singh Bains said the footage was from 2018 and did not reflect the school’s present condition, which he said had improved.
BJP Criticism
Harbhajan Singh shared the video to criticize the condition of Punjab’s government schools and the education model associated with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
Political responsibility
AAP and Government Response
AAP argued that the footage dated to the Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh rather than the current AAP administration.
BJP Criticism
The BJP campaign used the footage to question the AAP government’s record in Punjab.
Use of social-media footage
AAP and Government Response
Bains and Punjab Police challenged the sharing of old or misidentified videos and emphasized checking their authenticity and location.
BJP Criticism
Singh continued posting videos about Punjab-related issues and asked users to identify where some footage had been recorded, while not immediately withdrawing the school post.
Key facts
- Video date
- The school footage was identified as dating from 2018.
- Repost date
- Harbhajan Singh reposted the video on August 19.
- School location
- Government High School, Jalla village, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib district, Punjab.
- Current school conditions claimed by Bains
- Bains said the school had 100 students, nine teachers, clean washrooms, running water and a sanitary-pad vending machine.
- Government in 2018
- Punjab was governed by Congress under Captain Amarinder Singh when the footage was recorded.
- Earlier disputed video
- Punjab Police said a video linked by Singh to Punjab’s drug problem was actually from Sri Ganganagar in neighbouring Rajasthan.
Quotes
Harjot Singh Bains
Punjab Education Minister
“The video was from 2018 and that the school now had functioning women’s toilets and a sanitary-pad vending machine. He accused those sharing the old footage of trying to portray Punjab in a bad light.”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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