Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP of viewing education through a "communal" lens and questioned its action against Mohammad Ali Jauhar University after authorities ordered the demolition of several campus buildings.
Calling the action "condemnable", the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "Nindaniya!"
In a post on X, Yadav said, "The BJP sees communalism even in education. Education, teachers, students and the jobs available after education are not on the BJP's agenda. When will the BJP demolish the illegal buildings of its unregistered associates? When the associates themselves are unregistered, how can their buildings, offices and institutions be considered legal?"
The remarks came a day after the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) ordered the demolition of 38 buildings at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, founded by jailed SP leader Azam Khan, saying they were constructed without approval of the building plan. The university argued that the area was outside the RDA's jurisdiction when the buildings were constructed.
The authority rejected the contention, stating that approval from the competent authority was mandatory at the time of construction.
Established in 2006, the university has recently been at the centre of several legal disputes over alleged land encroachment and lease violations, with the Uttar Pradesh government reclaiming large portions of the property.
Earlier this year, Khan and his family formally stepped aside from the university's governing trust.
Earlier on Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) declared the 3-km four-lane road passing through the university campus a public road and erected signboards stating that it is open for public use.
The department said the road, built with public funds during the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government, was for unrestricted public access.
However, the dispute over the road remains pending before the Allahabad High Court.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
