In Punjab, there are only 598 teachers for over 47,000 students with special needs. As per estimates, among those, only 123 have regular posts. What about the rest and their future?
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In which direction is education for special needs children heading?
Parkash Singh Bhatti was a Congress MLA from Balluana in 2002, who left the party in 2017 after being denied a ticket, and joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. Later he contested Bathinda Rural in 2022 as the Akali Dal candidate, securing 30,617 votes (24.9%). In 2024, he returned to the Congress yet again. Now, with Bhatti gone and Jagsir Singh Kalyan appointed as the new Akali Dal district president for Bathinda Rural, the focus shifts to the future. Is the Akali Dal preparing to back its organisational face and field Kalyan from Bathinda Rural in 2027 ? And does Bhatti’s exit mark a clear shift from personality-based bets to a cadre-driven strategy for the party ?
प्रकाश सिंह भट्टी 2002 में बल्लुआना से कांग्रेस विधायक रहे। 2017 में टिकट न मिलने के बाद उन्होंने कांग्रेस छोड़ी और शिरोमणि अकाली दल में शामिल हो गए। बाद में 2022 में उन्होंने अकाली दल के उम्मीदवार के तौर पर बठिंडा ग्रामीण से चुनाव लड़ा और 30,617 वोट (24.9%) हासिल किए। 2024 में भट्टी एक बार फिर कांग्रेस में लौट आए। अब भट्टी के जाने और जगसीर सिंह कल्याण को बठिंडा ग्रामीण का नया अकाली दल जिला अध्यक्ष बनाए जाने के बाद सवाल भविष्य का है। क्या अकाली दल 2027 में अपने संगठनात्मक चेहरे पर भरोसा करते हुए कल्याण को मैदान में उतारने की तैयारी कर रहा है ? और क्या भट्टी का बाहर जाना इस बात का संकेत है कि पार्टी अब व्यक्तियों से ज़्यादा कैडर और संगठन पर भरोसा करना चाहती है ?
With the Shiromani Akali Dal trying to regain lost ground in Payal, the memory of 2022 still lingers uncomfortably. Back then, the SAD–BSP alliance fielded Dr. Jaspreet Singh Bija, only for him to later switch sides and join the Aam Aadmi Party, a move that left Akali cadres questioning strategy and loyalty. Now, with constituency in-charge Manjit Singh Madnipur enjoying solid rural backing and the party drawing confidence from recent momentum elsewhere, the dilemma is sharper. Will SAD finally back its own organisational face in 2027 or risk repeating the experiment of importing a candidate who may not stay the course ? And after the Bija episode, how much patience is left within the party for political trials in Payal ?
