Public anger over unemployment, education and healthcare failures echoes across Mirzapur; padyatra to conclude in Sarnath
Mirzapur/Lucknow: The second day of the “Rozgar Do, Samajik Nyay Do” padyatra, led by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader, Uttar Pradesh in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, witnessed historic public support in Mirzapur on Saturday. From city streets to rural stretches, large crowds joined the march, turning it into a powerful expression of public anger against unemployment, social injustice and what the party termed as the failure of governance in Uttar Pradesh.
Sanjay Singh received a warm and grand welcome at several locations, with locals showering flowers and raising slogans demanding jobs and justice. The padyatra, which began from Mirzapur, will culminate at Sarnath in Varanasi.
Addressing the gathering, Singh said that questions are often raised about the impact of padyatras, but every such movement has helped take people’s issues from the streets to Parliament. He said the third phase of the journey, starting from the land of Maa Vindhyavasini, raises a fundamental question—why, even after 80 years of Independence, Indian youth are still struggling for employment.
Singh alleged that the country has 45 crore unemployed youth, yet the issue finds no serious place in national discourse. He claimed that Uttar Pradesh ranks first in unemployment and accused the state government of making hollow claims of ₹45 lakh crore investment. “If such investments were real, at least 45 lakh jobs should have been created. Instead, youth are getting paper leaks, court stays and endless uncertainty,” he said.
Raising the slogan “Rozgar Do Nahi Toh ₹10,000 Do”, Singh demanded that if the government is unable to provide jobs, every unemployed youth above 18 years should be given a monthly unemployment allowance of ₹10,000. He said this was not charity but a constitutional right, adding that the government could take two hours of public service work in return.
The AAP leader strongly criticised the condition of education and healthcare in the state, alleging school closures, poor mid-day meals, lack of ambulances and deteriorating hospital infrastructure. He questioned where public money was going when crores were being written off as loans for large corporates.
Singh also attacked what he called the politics of hatred and division, stating that India would be built not by hate, but by the Constitution, unity and brotherhood. He stressed that the teachings of Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution are the only solution to eliminate discrimination and social inequality.
He proposed that constitutional education be made mandatory in all government and private schools and colleges across Uttar Pradesh, on the lines of Delhi, to counter misinformation and social division.
On the issue of SIR, Singh alleged that the sudden removal of 4.5 crore voters from electoral rolls was the biggest scam so far. He announced that the AAP would hold statewide protests on January 20 and urged people to join the movement by giving a missed call on 7500040004.
The padyatra has emerged as a significant political mobilisation, reflecting growing public discontent over unemployment, governance and social justice in the state.
