Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
In Punjab, a toilet repair has become an occasion for political fanfare.
Two inauguration plaques — one at Shaheed Sepoy Dalip Singh Government Senior Secondary School in Barnala’s Ghunas village, and another at Government Senior Secondary Smart School in Bhagu, Fazilka — are now viral symbols of what critics are calling a farcical rebranding of basic maintenance as governance.
The plaques feature the names of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains in bold, with the local MLA’s name tucked in beneath — all this for repairing toilets in government schools.
The backlash was swift, sharp, and relentless. Social media users turned the plaques into punchlines. Political leaders turned up the heat.
“Once a comedian, has now turned Punjab’s governance into a full-blown comedy show,” wrote Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of Opposition, on X. “While real issues like unemployment, drugs, and law & order are ignored, he’s busy cutting ribbons for toilet repairs. Come 2027, the people of Punjab will flush out @AamAadmiParty so hard, their leaders will hide in washrooms.”
BJP’s Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga didn’t hold back either. “People can criticise my brother @BhagwantMann, but he is doing a lot of work in Punjab. I want to congratulate him for his biggest achievement — repairing girls’ toilets in Punjab.”
Congress leader Pargat Singh joined in, mocking the ruling party’s priorities. He wrote on X: “@BhagwantMann govt has proudly become the first to launch a ‘Revolution of Toilet Repairs’ — and is hailing it as a historic milestone! Has any other state in India ever witnessed such a groundbreaking revolution in toilet repairs?”
In another post, Singh said, “Make it in Punjabi: Historic indeed! Punjab under @BhagwantMann has achieved what no other govt dared to dream — a Toilet Repair Revolution! What a Delhi Model!”
BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa posted on X on Thursday, “Now the repair of toilets is also a part of the education revolution! The names of the Chief Minister, Education Minister and @AAPPunjab MLA on it, as the repair of toilets was also done with their efforts. This revolution has reached straight to the toilet!!
Now even toilet repairs are part of AAP's 'Education Revolution'! A plaque proudly bears the names of the Chief Minister, Education Minister and MLA... as if the toilets got fixed thanks to their 'vision'. AAP's Badlaav has truly gone straight to the toilet!”
