BY KULDEEP SINGH YADAV
Samajwadi Party (SP) National President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the ruling government of systematically weakening the country’s education system and suppressing the voices of students. Speaking to the media in the Parliament complex on Monday, Yadav alleged that the BJP had “destroyed” educational institutions, examinations, and the overall academic framework since coming to power.
Referring to the ongoing controversy surrounding the NEET examination, Yadav congratulated students and young protesters for raising their voices against alleged irregularities in the examination process. He claimed that instead of addressing students’ concerns, the government had resorted to filing criminal cases against them and intimidating those who expressed dissent on social media. According to him, several students in Bihar had been jailed, while peaceful demonstrators faced police action. He further alleged that excessive force, including the use of pellet guns and assault during protests, reflected the government’s anti-student approach.
The SP chief accused the BJP of failing to create employment opportunities for young people and said that the ruling party had no agenda for jobs or youth welfare. He questioned the government’s response to families who allegedly lost their children following the NEET paper leak controversy, asking what assistance had been extended to them. Yadav reiterated that the Samajwadi Party would continue its struggle for social justice under the banner of the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance and work to secure constitutional rights and dignity for every citizen. He also claimed that the INDIA alliance had successfully defeated the BJP in Uttar Pradesh during the Lok Sabha elections and pledged to continue advocating for inclusive governance.
Mainpuri MP Dimple Yadav also criticized the BJP government, alleging that students had been subjected to brutality despite carrying out peaceful demonstrations. She accused authorities of using force, including baton charges and pellet guns, against protesters and demanded that the Union Home Minister explain the incidents in Parliament. She further alleged that students and youth were being harassed through FIRs and threats, calling the government’s actions undemocratic and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution.
Apart from raising issues related to education, the Samajwadi Party also alleged serious irregularities in the electoral rolls of the Anupshahr Assembly constituency in Bulandshahr district. Acting on Akhilesh Yadav’s instructions, Uttar Pradesh SP President Shyam Lal Pal submitted a memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh demanding an immediate investigation into alleged discrepancies affecting more than 27,000 voters.
According to the memorandum, the final electoral roll published on April 10, 2026, contains numerous cases where voters’ surnames or those of their relatives were either added or removed without explanation, while EPIC numbers remained unchanged. The party also cited instances where voters and their listed relatives appeared to belong to different religious identities, raising concerns about the accuracy of the electoral database. SP leaders claimed that approximately 800 EPIC numbers had also been altered across the constituency.
The Samajwadi Party urged the Election Commission of India to conduct a comprehensive statewide verification of electoral rolls, issue fresh voter identity cards to affected individuals, and initiate action against officials found responsible for the alleged irregularities. The party argued that correcting these discrepancies was essential to ensuring free, fair, transparent, and impartial Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2027. The memorandum was submitted by senior SP leaders K.K. Srivastava, Dr. Harish Chandra Singh, and Radheshyam Singh, who called for immediate corrective measures to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
