The Samajwadi Party said on Tuesday that students should be inoculated against the coronavirus before board exams are conducted, with its president Akhilesh Yadav asserting that no examination would be conducted without vaccination.

As the government is in the process of taking a decision on the class XII board exams and subsequent entrance tests that were postponed due to the second wave of COVID-19, a demand has been made from some quarters that if the exams are to be held, the students be vaccinated first. "Pahle tika, fir pariksha (first vaccination, then examination). No Examination Without Vaccination," Yadav tweeted.

Demanding vaccination of students, Samajwadi Party MLC Udaiveer Singh said, "The central government should not play with lives of students. "At a high-level meeting called by the Ministry of Education earlier this week, Delhi, Kerala and some others demanded vaccination of students before the exam. After the meeting on Sunday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' said there is a broad consensus among states about conducting class XII board exams and an 'informed, collaborative' decision will be taken by June 1.