Samajwadi Party expels MLA Pooja Pal for 'indiscipline' after praising UP CM Yogi Adityanath
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
UP well-positioned to emerge asgreen hydrogen prodn hub: CM
Gorakhpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that green hydrogen represents the "energy of the future" and will play a decisive role in protecting biodiversity, reducing carbon emissions, and improving human health. "With abundant water resources, UP is well-positioned to emerge as a hub for green hydrogen production," the CM said. Inaugurating Uttar Pradesh's first and the country's second green hydrogen plant at Khanimpur in Gorakhpur, set up by Torrent Gas and Torrent Power, the CM underlined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of achieving net zero emissions had set the agenda for sustainable growth. "If we wish to save humanity and civilization, we must minimize carbon emissions. Green energy will be crucial not just for the environment but also for reducing diseases caused by pollution," he said. The Gorakhpur facility will blend green hydrogen with CNG and PNG for domestic and industrial use. The CM cited examples of successful green initiatives such as LED streetlights, which have drastically reduced power consumption and carbon emissions. Stressing on affordability, he said, "Like mobile phones, which were once costly but became accessible to all, green hydrogen will also become cheaper in future." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo Highlighting broader environmental concerns, the CM said, "Unchecked exploitation of nature, excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and deforestation have led to climate change, irregular rainfall, and rising health problems such as cancer and liver ailments. Greater adoption of natural farming and green energy is required to ensure a sustainable future." Lauding Torrent Group, he said the company has been instrumental in expanding CNG and PNG networks in UP and had brought the state at the forefront of hydrogen-based energy. Torrent Group director Jinal Mehta said, "UP has offered a red carpet, not red tape to investors under CM Yogi." MP Ravi Kishan termed the project a "game-changer" that would script a new energy revolution in Gorakhpur. MLA Pradeep Shukla said such projects were steering UP towards becoming a developed state by 2047. The CM also planted a Rudraksha sapling at the site. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Expelled SP MLA Pooja Pal says she won't join BJP, for now
Chail MLA Pooja Pal, who was recently expelled by the Samajwadi Party for anti-party activities, said on Sunday that she would not be joining the BJP as of now, and will take the next political step after discussing with members of her community. Chail MLA Pooja Pal had called on UP CM Yogi Adityanath at his official residence in Lucknow on Saturday.(ANI Grab ) She had called on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a day ago. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Pal asserted that she was associated with "the Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav" and not of Mulayam Singh Yadav. When asked whether she has closed the door on Samajwadi Party, Pal told PTI, "They closed the door themselves, and it was a good thing. If I join any party, it would be based on the 'vichaar' (ideology), and your vichaar should be clear." She added that when Akhilesh Yadav-led government was in power from 2012 to 2017, the party had kept mafia at a distance. "I was not associated with the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav. I was associated with the Samajwadi Party of Akhilesh Yadav, because he had kept the mafia away," Pal said. She added that the party had questioned the encounter of Asad Ahmed, son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed who was shot dead in 2023. On her next political move, the three-time MLA said she will talk to members of the Pal community before taking a decision. When asked if she plans to join the BJP, Pal said, "Not as of now." The Chail MLA had called on Adityanath at his official residence in Lucknow on Saturday. Both the office of the chief minister and Pal posted about the meeting on microblogging site X. "Honourable MLA of Chail assembly constituency of Kaushambi district, Pooja Pal, made a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow today," the office of Yogi Adityanath said in a post in Hindi. Sharing a photograph of the meeting, Pal also wrote in Hindi, "I once again thank the honourable chief minister. Under his leadership, goons and mafias are shown their rightful place, which is very important for a progressive society." In a long X post earlier on Sunday, Pal detailed how she was being targeted politically. "There are some people who always comment on my personal life and keep writing about it. I have no problem if they do, but they should write the truth, because I contested the election from their party, their leader knows everything..." "They knew I lost the election in 2017. Taking this as an opportunity, some party leaders -- Atiq Ahmed and my maternal relatives, who wanted to contest the MLA election -- started working to end my political career. I was unable to fight Raju Pal's (her husband) case. A conspiracy was hatched against me by Atiq, in which my own family members were involved," the post read. She further wrote that after Atiq Ahmed was murdered, her brothers took up her case. "They told me to get married, that they are with me. But a few days after the marriage, I came to know the truth. These same people were sitting somewhere and talking that now all the cases against Atiq will be closed. But I will not back off." She also mentioned that she has applied for a divorce. Pooja Pal's husband, Raju Pal, a former BSP MLA from Prayagraj West, was shot dead nine days after their wedding in January 2005, in an attack linked to Atiq Ahmed. Ahmed, a former MP and multiple-time MLA from Allahabad West, was serving a life sentence when he and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three assailants in full media view while they were being escorted by police for a medical check-up in Prayagraj on April 15, 2023. "Now, when I spoke the truth in the assembly, despite knowing everything, out of irritation and revenge, they hatched a conspiracy to tarnish my image and kept writing about my personal life," the Chail MLA's post continued. "The people of my city -- Prayagraj West and Chail -- know everything about my sorrows. That is why their support is still with me. Out of fear of this, some 'samajwadis' are using all kinds of tricks to tarnish my image," she added. Pooja Pal was expelled from the Samajwadi Party on Thursday, just hours after she praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly for "reducing Atiq Ahmed to dust". During the 24-hour special discussion on 'Vision 2047' at the ongoing monsoon session of the Assembly, Pal had said that the present government's anti-crime policies had brought her husband's killers to the ground. "The chief minister has done the work of reducing my husband's murderer to dust. He saw my hidden tears, which no one saw for years," she had told the House.
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
Yogi Adityanath Government's 'School Pairing' Policy Sparks Political Row In Uttar Pradesh
What began as an administrative exercise to merge under-enrolled schools in Uttar Pradesh has snowballed into a veritable political flashpoint, sparking protests, poster wars, FIRs and heated exchanges in the state's Assembly. The "school pairing" policy announced in June by the Adityanath government, seeks to merge more than 10,000 primary and upper primary schools with fewer than 50 students into nearby institutions, usually within the one-kilometre radius. Officials say the move will strengthen infrastructure, ensure adequate teacher strength and provide larger peer groups for students, but the Opposition brands it "a disguised closure" of government schools that will push marginalised and rural children out of the education system. Over the past six weeks, the issue has refused to fade, surviving courtroom scrutiny, a government clarification blitz, multiple street protests, FIRs against political workers and poster wars. The issue flagged by opposition in the recently concluded session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly also led to heated discussions, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stoutly defending the decision. The policy followed a sharp decline in government school enrolments after the COVID pandemic. In 2022-23, enrolments stood at 1.92 crore, but have since dropped to just more than one crore in the current academic session. Additional Chief Secretary (Basic Education) Deepak Kumar said the move follows models in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat and is in line with the National Education Policy 2020. The policy also faced legal challenges but the Allahabad High Court dismissed the pleas, ruling that the Act allows flexibility and has no evidence of rights violations. While the government won in court, it continues to battle political barbs. Opposition campaign against the move spearheaded by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has found support from nearly all opposition, including Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Yadav has branded the move a "deep-rooted conspiracy" to deprive PDA (Backward classes, Dalits, and minorities) of education and, by extension, their political voice. "What kind of Ram Rajya is this? Close the schools, open the liquor shops," read an SP poster in Lucknow. In rural areas, SP workers have launched "PDA Pathshalas" -- informal teaching centres for children whose schools have been merged. Some of these centres featured "politicised alphabets" such as "A for Akhilesh" and "M for Mulayam Singh Yadav," prompting the government to accuse the party of misusing children for propaganda. FIRs have been filed against SP leaders in Saharanpur, Varanasi, Mau, Prayagraj, and Lucknow for running these "unauthorised" classes. The SP calls this harassment, while the government insists it is necessary to protect children's education from politicisation. The AAP too has joined the fray, with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh launching a "school bachao" campaign under the slogan "Madhushala nahi, pathshala chahiye (Not liquor shops, we want schools)." "We are holding protest rallies in several districts against the move. Locals who have been affected are also joining us and we will continue to raise the issue in coming days to ensure these people get justice," Singh told PTI adding that the party will make it an issue in upcoming Panchayat polls. The BJP countered the allegations by putting up posters in Lucknow on the first day of the Assembly session, targeting SP's "PDA Pathshala" campaign. Sponsored by BJP MLC and state general secretary Subhash Yaduvansh, the posters claimed to expose the "dark truth" of the initiative, alleging that SP's PDA Pathshalas were teaching "A for Akhilesh and D for Dimple." The BJP has sought an apology from the SP chief, asking which parent in the state would want their child to be taught such a curriculum. Under growing pressure, the state's Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh and other BJP leaders rolled out pressers and clarifications, insisting that no school is being permanently shut and that mergers only apply to institutions with less than 50 students. "If a merger creates commuting difficulties, it can be reversed. Vacated buildings will be converted into Bal Vatikas (pre-primary schools) by August 15. No teacher posts will be abolished; new appointments will be made if needed to maintain the pupil-teacher ratio," Singh clarified in a press conference. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also waded into the debate in the Assembly, dismissing the "closure" charge and framing the policy as part of a broader education modernisation drive. "Before 2017, government schools lacked basic infrastructure, and dropout rates were among the highest in the country," he said. "Today, we are integrating campuses to maintain a 22:1 student-teacher ratio and provide better facilities. This is strengthening education, not weakening it," he asserted. The chief minister further announced the rollout of LKG, UKG, and nursery classes in government schools, alongside a Rs 100 crore nutrition mission for malnourished children. The policy dominated proceedings in the Monsoon Session, with SP legislators accusing the government of reducing educational access instead of expanding it. Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey alleged that 29,000 schools had been merged and 10,000 closed, claiming this was a deliberate attempt to deprive the poor of education. SP MLAs also linked the issue to broader accusations that the BJP is neglecting job creation and rural development, with Adityanath countering it by accusing the SP of running a "copying mafia" during its tenure and ignoring infrastructure needs. Mixed reactions are seen in villages with some parents seeing the potential benefits of better facilities and larger peer groups while others worry about safety and dropout risks when children have to travel two or three kilometres to school. Teachers, especially in villages, warn that the distance will weaken their ability to encourage attendance through personal outreach. "Once schools are far away, that connection is lost," a teacher from teacher told PTI, saying that he fears that many children will simply drop out. Education access remains a politically potent theme, particularly among rural and marginalised voters. For the Samajwadi Party, framing the policy as an attack on PDA communities ties directly into its core electoral pitch. The pairing exercise is happening simultaneously in thousands of villages, creating repeated local flashpoints. With panchayat and Assembly elections still ahead, the Opposition appears determined to keep the issue simmering. The SP's PDA Pathshala campaign continues despite police action, while the BJP is using the Assembly and government briefings to project the move as progressive and in line with national education reforms. The government plans to complete the pairing process within weeks and whether that will quiet the political noise, however, remains uncertain.
