A war of words broke out in Uttar Pradesh after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a sharp jibe at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav during a scholarship distribution programme in Lucknow, prompting an equally caustic response from the former Chief Minister.
Addressing students at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Yogi Adityanath, without naming Akhilesh Yadav, mocked the previous regime, saying a leader who “wakes up at noon” cannot worry about the poor or the future of education.
“Babua (a name given to Akhilesh by his political opponents) who wakes up at 12 in the afternoon hardly has time to think about the poor. If the head of a state gets up at noon, and you talk to him about sunrise, he will think it’s a dream because he has no awareness of the world and no desire to learn,” Adityanath said.
The Chief Minister alleged that during earlier governments, basic education had “turned barren” and secondary education had become a hub for cheating. “A few mafias played with the trust of the youth. Because of nepotism, corruption and negligence, welfare schemes like scholarships failed to reach deserving students,” he added.
The Chief Minister praised the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, saying transparency had ended corruption in scholarship distribution. He announced that for the financial year 2025-26, Rs 944.55 crore had been transferred to the bank accounts of 18,78,726 students across the state.
Responding to Adityanath’s remarks, Akhilesh Yadav launched a counterattack on social media platform X. “Some people wake up from sleep but never come to their senses. Their eyes remain closed all day; even when awake, they stay intoxicated,” Akhilesh wrote.
In a longer post, the SP chief accused the Chief Minister of spreading misinformation about education reforms. “Do not create false narratives from the stage and sing untrue songs of education reform. In your regime, teachers and shiksha mitras were on the streets protesting, and schools were being shut down. It was the pressure of the PDA Pathshala movement that forced you to retreat and put education back on track,” Akhilesh said.
He further claimed that education was not part of the BJP’s real agenda. “An educated society asks questions and removes conservative forces from power,” he added.
Earlier, Yogi said that when a government’s intent is clear and policies are firm, money meant for the poor reaches them directly. Extending Republic Day greetings, he called the scholarship transfer a major step toward social justice and inclusive development.
Highlighting reforms in the education sector, the Chief Minister cited initiatives such as Operation Kayakalp, Kasturba Gandhi schools, Atal Residential Schools, Abhyudaya Coaching Scheme and the expansion of sports infrastructure. He said empowering girls and helping students build successful careers remained a top priority of his government.
