Uttar Pradesh politics: SP protests school closures and religious identity debates

In Uttar Pradesh, political tensions are rising over education and religious sites. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has launched the ‘Pathshala Pukare’ campaign, protesting the closure of approximately 26,000 primary schools under the current administration. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav claims these closures disproportionately affect marginalized communities and has pledged to reopen them within 24 hours of taking power.

Separately, Om Prakash Rajbhar, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, criticized Akhilesh Yadav for his perceived reluctance to openly invoke Hindu deities like Lord Krishna and Lord Ram, despite Yadav identifying as Yaduvanshi.

Regarding religious sites, BSP chief Mayawati has called on the state government to halt the demolition of mosques, arguing that such actions against religious structures are improper and violate secular principles.

On the administrative side, the Yogi government has introduced ‘Project Praveen’ to provide vocational training to over 3,000 students in Jay Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya schools starting September 30. Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav honored 33 teachers and announced that the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) will now be available in both online and offline formats to ease candidate concerns.