Lucknow– The Uttar Pradesh Congress staged a powerful protest at the Lucknow District Headquarters, accusing the Yogi Adityanath-led state government of attempting to deprive children of education by merging nearly 5,000 primary and junior schools across the state. The demonstration was led by Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai, along with senior leaders and local Congress functionaries.
Addressing the gathering, Ajay Rai strongly criticized the state government, alleging that its policies were “anti-people and anti-education.” He said, “The Yogi government wants to shut down schools and keep children, especially those from poor backgrounds, away from education. This is nothing less than playing with their future.”
Rai further stated that the government is closing schools meant for the underprivileged while encouraging the opening of liquor shops, thereby benefiting private capitalists instead of addressing the needs of the common people. “This clearly shows the direction in which the Yogi government wants to take the state,” he said.
A memorandum addressed to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh was submitted to City Magistrate Gyan Chandra Gupta during the protest. Rai warned that if the government does not revoke the school merger decision, the Congress will escalate its agitation across the state.
“Movement Will Take a Bigger Shape”: Ajay Rai
Ajay Rai, joined by former ministers, Congress city and district presidents, and hundreds of party workers, emphasized that this issue affects thousands of families and must not be allowed to pass unnoticed. “If this dictatorial decision is not withdrawn, the movement will take a massive shape in the coming days,” he declared.
Senior Congress Leaders Join Protest
Also participating in the protest were UPCC’s outgoing treasurer Shiv Pandey and former organizational general secretary Anil Yadav, who reiterated the Congress’s resolve to fight for public welfare. “Congress workers will not be intimidated by this authoritarian government. We are committed to fighting for people’s rights,” said Pandey.
City Congress President Amit Srivastava ‘Tyagi’, Dr. Shahzad Alam, and District Congress President Rudra Daman Singh ‘Bablu’ stated that the people have lost faith in the BJP government, and Congress will continue to raise critical public issues on the streets. They predicted that in the 2027 Assembly elections, voters will hold the government accountable for its “anti-education” decisions.
Mass Participation
The protest saw the active participation of over a hundred Congress workers and office bearers, including prominent names such as:
Adv. Sanjeev Pandey, Pramod Singh, Uma Shankar Pandey, Rajendra Pandey, Mohammad Naeem, Anas Rahman, Adv. R.B. Singh, Rais Ahmed, Ajay Verma, Kishwar Jahan, Baldev Singh Lathi, Fakhrul Islam, S.K. Gautam, Sanjay Srivastava, Adv. Abhay Singh, Maheep Singh, Golu Pathak, Manish Jaiswal, Vinod Rawat, Mohammad Ubaid Khan, Adarsh Lodhi, Mohammad Shafiq, Rajkumar Patel, Rafiq Ghazi, Pramod Dubey, Mohammad Hashim, Jamal Khan, Musharraf Imam, Arvind Patel, Sachidanand Nath, Adv. Sunil Pal, Gopal Krishna Chaudhary, Abhimanyu Vishwakarma, Mohammad Tariq, Churchill, Nawab Salim Khan, Manoj Verma, Manish Lodhi, Neha Rani, Mohammad Kabir, Mohammad Ilyas, Savita Yadav, Pratima Dhawan, Ranjeet Kumar, Tarannum, Pratima Rastogi, Lalita Sharma, Santosh Dwivedi, Mahadev Rawat, Ranjana Acharya, Husnara, Mamta Chaudhary, Rukaiya Bano, Neha Rawat, Rajni Gautam, Jeba Khatun, Rafiq Malik, Aqeel Ahmad Khan, Manoj Kumar Verma, Sunil Mishra, Ibrat Khan, Bindesh Pandey, Amit Pal, Baba Pandey, Irfan Ullah, Dinesh Dubey, Mahesh Kanchan, Indradev Shukla, Mohammad Sultan, Sheela Mishra, Sushila Sharma, Aqeel Ahmad, Devanand Tiwari, Vimlesh Verma, Indu Gautam, Rajendra Dhanuk, Chanchalesh Mishra, Atul Sharma, among others.
Background
The Uttar Pradesh government recently announced a consolidation plan for nearly 5,000 primary and junior schools, citing administrative and infrastructural efficiency. However, the move has drawn flak from various quarters, especially educationists and opposition parties, who argue that it disproportionately affects rural and underprivileged students.
As the Congress continues to mobilize against the decision, the school merger issue appears set to become a significant political flashpoint in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections.
