‘Dear’ for deer, ‘vegitables’ for vegetables: Punjab school photo sparks political row

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains shared an image of a classroom poster on Monday to promote the state's education reforms. However, the Opposition parties quickly spotted spelling mistakes on the poster, with the words "deer" and "vegetables" misspelled as "dear" and "vegitables" respectively. Bains had previously shared photos of the classroom while touting Punjab's "Sikhya Kranti" and claiming the state to be the top performer in school education, surpassing Kerala according to a NITI Aayog report.

Bains lashed out at the Opposition, accusing them of focusing on a classroom poster while ignoring the state's broader education reforms. He challenged the BJP to compare 1,000 schools in Punjab and Gujarat, alleging that the BJP was using "doctored, AI videos" to defame Punjab schools. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal responded with an "open challenge" to the BJP, offering to provide a list of 1,000 schools in Punjab and asking the BJP to provide a list of 1,000 schools in Gujarat for inspection. Kejriwal also accused the BJP of using "doctored, AI videos" to defame Punjab schools.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on the errors to attack the government, with the SAD calling Bains out for brain fog and suggesting he eat "the right Vegeti-bales". Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal accused Bains and the AAP government of making one "PR faux pas after another". BJP leader Amit Malviya advised the Aam Aadmi Party government to "focus less on photo-ops and propaganda" and expressed disappointment in the quality of education in Punjab.

Bains responded to the Opposition by thanking "Amit ji, Badal saab [SAD’s Sukhbir Singh Badal] and others" for their concerns, accusing them of hating Punjab and focusing on a classroom poster. He then shared updated data highlighting Punjab's progress in education, including the state now being ranked No.1 in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026, up from 27th, ahead of Kerala.

The minister cited improvements such as 19,000+ government schools upgraded, thousands of new classrooms built, and students who once sat on the floor now having desks. Bains concluded by expressing his passion for education and dismissing the Opposition's focus on photo-ops and propaganda.