E-Paper
UP Legislature’s Monsoon Session: Samajwadi Party to highlight farmers, students’ issues, says Akhilesh Yadav
The other issues the party plans to raise include the alleged theft of offerings at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, and the state government’s approach towards Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.
The Samajwadi Party will use the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly starting on Monday to highlight the alleged failures of the BJP government on issues of farmers’ welfare, education, employment and corruption, party president Akhilesh Yadav announced on Sunday.
The other issues the party plans to raise include the alleged theft of offerings at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, and the state government’s approach towards Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.
Chairing a meeting of the SP Legislature Party at the party’s state headquarters in Lucknow, Yadav said his party’s legislators would raise a wide range of public concerns during the short four-day session.
He accused the state government of betraying farmers, students and the youth. Yadav alleged that farmers were not receiving adequate fertiliser and seeds. He also claimed that fertiliser bags were being pilfered, and that rising diesel and petrol prices had sharply increased the cost of cultivation. The government had failed to double farmers’ incomes as promised, he said.
On education and employment, the former chief minister said the system had been “ruined.” He pointed to repeated paper leaks, including in the NEET examination, and claimed Uttar Pradesh had recorded the highest number of such incidents in recruitment tests. Youth, he said, were being denied jobs and reservation benefits.
Yadav specifically targeted the government’s handling of school education. He alleged that 26,386 schools had been closed or merged during the BJP’s nearly a decade in power in Uttar Pradesh. He claimed primary school enrolment had fallen by 28 lakh students, of whom 25 lakh belonged to backward and Dalit communities, including 16 lakh girls. The number of government teachers had declined by 62,000 and sanctioned teaching posts for Classes 1 to 8 by 1.4 lakh, he said.
Districts such as Lakhimpur Kheri (758 schools), Sitapur (650) and Prayagraj (638) were among the worst affected, according to the SP leader. He contrasted this with the 1,13,938 primary schools that existed under the previous SP government in 2017.
Yadav also questioned the short duration of the session, claiming it reflected the BJP’s awareness that it would not return to power. He said the four days would largely be spent on formalities, tributes and attempts to deflect responsibility rather than meaningful debate.
