- Kanpur principal suspended after political birthday event at school.
- Samajwadi Party alleges selective action, citing similar BJP MP visits.
- BJP defends suspension, distinguishing events based on political nature.
The suspension of a government school principal in Kanpur has triggered a political storm in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) accusing each other of using schools for political messaging. The controversy stems from an event held at a government primary school in Parmat on July 1, where SP MLA Amitabh Bajpai marked party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s 53rd birthday. The celebration, which included cake-cutting, distribution of school uniforms and the display of Yadav’s portrait, has now become the centre of a heated political debate over whether government educational institutions should host events linked to political leaders.
Principal Suspended After Birthday Event
The issue gained momentum after photographs of the celebration circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from BJP leaders who alleged that the school premises had been used for political purposes.
Acting on complaints, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Hari Om Singh suspended headmaster Navin Kumar Tripathi, stating that he had failed to prevent political activities from taking place inside the government school, as per reports.
Pending a detailed departmental inquiry, Tripathi has been attached to the Khand Shiksha Karyalaya. Education officials maintained that government schools must remain politically neutral and that allowing such programmes on campus violated administrative norms.
SP Alleges Selective Action
The Samajwadi Party has strongly objected to the suspension, accusing the BJP government of applying different standards depending on the political affiliation of those involved.
Party leaders cited an earlier incident involving BJP MP Ramesh Awasthi, alleging that he had interacted with students in another government school by teaching them “M for Modi” and “N for Narendra.” According to the SP, no disciplinary action was initiated in that case, raising questions about consistency in the enforcement of rules.
In his written explanation to education authorities, Tripathi also referred to Awasthi’s proposed programme for distributing school uniforms. He noted that the event had been postponed until July 6 because of the Teacher Eligibility Test, suggesting that political leaders from different parties had visited schools for similar purposes.
BJP Defends Suspension
The BJP dismissed the SP’s allegations of double standards, arguing that the two incidents were fundamentally different.
According to party leaders, celebrating a political leader’s birthday inside a government school, displaying the leader’s portrait and organising a cake-cutting ceremony amounted to a political programme that should not have been permitted on educational premises.
Ramesh Awasthi also rejected the comparison, saying he had not participated in any political event at a school. He maintained that his visit was limited to discussing measurements for school uniforms and that the distribution programme had been scheduled separately.
