Mau, Uttar Pradesh, August 6, 2025: A local student leader from the Samajwadi Party (SP), Akhilesh Bharti, has found himself in trouble with the law. Today, police filed an FIR against him for running a “PDA Pathshala” without permission in the Nizamuddinpura area. The move came after a viral video sparked outrage, showing children being taught at this unauthorized setup, allegedly organized by Bharti, the district president of the SP’s student wing.
The PDA Pathshala, tied to the SP’s campaign for Pichhda (backward), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minority) communities, has stirred controversy across the state. In Mau, the district magistrate ordered the FIR following a complaint from education officials. They accused Bharti of using the pathshala for political gain and spreading false rumors about school closures. The complaint also claimed the setup violated regulations, as it lacked official approval from local authorities.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Similar cases have popped up elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh. In Saharanpur, SP leader Farhad Alam Gada faced charges for teaching children “politicized alphabets” like “A for Akhilesh” and “M for Mulayam” at a PDA Pathshala. A viral video from his residence showed uniformed kids reciting these slogans, prompting a complaint from a local resident. Gada defended the initiative, saying it aimed to teach kids about Samajwadi ideology, but authorities called it an illegal school.
In Kanpur, another SP leader, Rachna Singh Gautam, was booked for holding an unauthorized PDA Pathshala near a government school. The complaint alleged she taught political slogans and ignored objections from school staff. In Bhadohi, SP’s Anjani Saroj faced an FIR for involving kids in a protest against school mergers, luring them with toffees and posters. These incidents have fueled a heated debate between the SP and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has hit back, accusing the BJP of being anti-education. On August 5, 2025, he said, “Even the British didn’t file FIRs for studying,” claiming the BJP is targeting SP workers to block education for marginalized kids. He vowed that PDA Pathshalas would continue until the government appoints teachers to schools affected by its merger policy. The BJP, however, calls these pathshalas a ploy to “politically brainwash” children, with state chief Bhupendra Chaudhary labeling them as “Samajwadi brainwashing.”
The controversy stems from the state’s school merger policy, which aimed to combine schools with low enrollment to improve resources. Critics, including the SP, argue it has left rural kids without local schools, increasing dropout risks. The government recently clarified that schools with 50 or more students or those over a kilometer from another school won’t be merged. Still, the PDA Pathshala issue remains a flashpoint, with the SP framing it as a fight for education and the BJP seeing it as political manipulation.
As investigations continue, the clash between education reform and political activism is only getting sharper in Uttar Pradesh.
