Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) workers and leaders, led by MLA Pallavi Patel, took to the streets of Lucknow on Tuesday to protest the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to merge primary schools with low enrollment. The rally, starting from the party’s Lalbagh office, aimed for the state assembly but was halted by police near Darul Shafa, where a memorandum was submitted to the Governor.

Patel condemned the BJP’s policy, calling it a deliberate blow to rural education and a violation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates free and compulsory education with primary schools within one kilometer and upper primary schools within three kilometers. “This move targets the poor and marginalized, derailing the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and exposing the hollowness of BJP’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ slogan,” she told protesters.

Chanting slogans like “BJP sarkar sharm karo – shiksha par hamla band karo” (Shame on BJP – stop attacking education) and “Merger nahi sudhar chahiye, har gaon ko phir se school chahiye” (We want reform, not merger – every village needs a school), the crowd voiced anger over the state’s education policy. Patel warned that school closures would disproportionately harm girls’ education in rural areas, pushing them out of schools.

Also Read: PDP's Para Slams BJP for Communalizing Urdu in J&K

The state’s initiative, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, seeks to “pair” over 10,000 of the 1.3 lakh government-run primary schools with fewer than 50 students to optimize resources and infrastructure. Recently upheld by the Allahabad High Court, the policy has sparked widespread criticism.

Patel, who defeated Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in the 2022 elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket, vowed to escalate protests statewide until the government reverses the merger policy. “Apna Dal (K) will fight relentlessly to protect every child’s right to education,” she declared.

Also Read: BJP Hails Modi’s 5.1% Inflation Record Against UPA’s 8.1%