LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday reiterated his party’s commitment to restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees and addressing long-pending demands of teachers, madrasa staff and other sections, if the party forms government in Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav also emphasised that even if his party wins all the seats in elections, he is against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMS). While questioning the need for using multiple layers of technology in the electoral process, he noted that developed countries like Germany and US use ballot papers.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting with party MLAs and MLCs at the SP headquarters in Lucknow, he said the discussions covered several key issues and that suggestions from legislators would be taken forward.
Reaffirming that the SP’s previous manifesto had promised implementation of OPS, he said: “The SP will form the government in 2027 and work on employees’ long-standing demand that their old pension scheme be restored,” he said.
He added that the party had already prepared a financial model in consultation with employees’ organisations to ensure the scheme’s viability so that a future government could not claim fiscal constraints. Th details would be shared with the manifesto, said the SP chief.
{{/usCountry}}He added that the party had already prepared a financial model in consultation with employees’ organisations to ensure the scheme’s viability so that a future government could not claim fiscal constraints. Th details would be shared with the manifesto, said the SP chief.
{{/usCountry}}On education, Yadav accused the present government of discriminating against teachers and madrasas while focusing on creating divisions. He promised that an SP government would restore honorarium for teachers in unaided institutions (noting that ₹200 crore had been allocated earlier), relevant service rules on security, promotion and ad-hoc principals’ salaries and clear pending salaries of modern madrasa teachers.
Problems of Sanskrit schools and teachers would also be resolved. Shiksha Mitras would be given full respect as teachers, he said, attributed their temporary system to the BJP.
“This government has no other work to do other than how to spread hatred, create distances and rifts. The government has discriminated against madrasas. All the problems of madrasas will be solved under the Samajwadi government. The salaries of modern madrasa teachers will be restored and pending salaries will also be paid,” said Yadav.
He further committed to address issues in government schools, ending semester system in degree colleges, working towards a protection act for advocates and fulfilling demands of instructors, employment workers and anganwadi staff, all of which would feature in the manifesto. A regular calendar for recruitment advertisements was also promised to help competitive exam aspirants.
The SP chief attacked the BJP over land acquisition for the Aligarh-Moradabad Greenfield Access-Controlled Expressway, alleging that the party was discriminating against farmers when it came to compensation.
He called the BJP the biggest “land mafia party”, calling it the ‘Bharatiya Zameen Party’. He also demanded that circle rates be raised to reflect actual market value.
The Kannauj MP appealed for support for the party’s candidates in the upcoming teachers’ and graduates’ constituency elections to the Legislative Council, naming several contenders including Lal Bihari Yadav (Mirzapur-Banaras education block), Sushil Kumar (Lucknow), Dr Prakash Chandra Gupta (Agra) and others.
Yadav criticised the government on unemployment, paper leaks, cyber fraud (claiming Uttar Pradesh ranks high), flooding and drainage failures and the alleged theft of offerings in Ayodhya.
‘Surprise’ third candidate for Rajya Sabha?
The Samajwadi Party might field three candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from UP. Sources said suggestions were sought from MLAs regarding candidates during a key meeting of SP lawmakers with Akhilesh Yadav on Monday.
There was consensus on the names of Ram Gopal Yadav, who has been a permanent face for the party in the Upper House and Delhi circuit and retired IAS officer Alok Ranjan, added the sources. In the last decade, Ranjan had emerged as one of the most trusted lieutenants of Akhilesh Yadav, helping him with policy and political strategy. He was fielded last time, but could not secure the required votes.
Sources said if the party decides to field a third candidate, there is larger deliberation that this third face should be from the PDA community.
Some lawmakers also proposed the name of a senior SP leader’s wife, but it did not gain much traction. Sources suggested the name of a close relative of a sitting minister from an ally party was circulating. There was also a strong buzz about the name of the mother of a senior female leader, who is an NDA ally, being considered.
The decision to potentially field three candidates, despite the party having numbers for only two seats, is expected to heighten the contest and keep political circles engaged ahead of the October 16 polls.