Akhilesh Yadav Criticizes UP Government Over Teacher Loan Recovery Orders

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for issuing loan-recovery orders to teachers via Banda District Cooperative Bank after the cancellation of the 69,000 teacher recruitment lists by the Allahabad High Court. Yadav condemned the move as unfair and a conspiracy against teachers, leading to significant distress and potential long-term negative effects on education quality.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday for allegedly targeting teachers with loan-recovery orders from the Banda District Cooperative Bank, following the cancellation of the 69,000 teacher recruitment lists by the Allahabad High Court.

In a post on X, Yadav condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's actions, saying ''the cancellation of the recruitment lists by the High Court led to an unfair economic, social and mental burden on teachers, showcasing another instance of injustice under BJP rule''.

He said as soon as the court annulled the 69,000 teacher recruitments, the Banda District Cooperative Bank issued orders to recover loans taken by the teachers.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister called the move a ''conspiracy'' to block further loans and asserted that the BJP government was ''forced to withdraw the orders under public pressure, although they were not completely revoked''.

He questioned whether the government intends to seize the homes and possessions of the teachers who have taken loans based on the expectation of job stability. He said the actions were disgraceful and aimed at causing distress to families and individuals.

The SP chief further argued that the state government's apparent ill-intent towards the recruitment process is causing undue mental stress among teachers, who now face potential damage to their social status and future employment prospects.

He warned that such actions would have ''long-term negative effects'' on the quality of education and the future of students.

The Banda District Cooperative Bank's recent order, which Yadav tagged in his post on X, was later revoked. The order, issued on August 17, was related to the security of bank funds and instructed to suspend compliance until further notice.

The controversy follows a 2023 Allahabad High Court ruling, which mandated the issuance of new selection lists for the 69,000 positions of assistant teachers in Uttar Pradesh, invalidating the previous lists issued in June 2020 and January 2022.

The court had directed the creation of a new list within three months, putting the employment status of the teachers recruited under the old lists at risk.

Justices A R Masoodi and Brijraj Singh's bench completed hearings on the issue of non-compliance with reservation quotas in March and the decision was published on the court's website last Friday.

(With inputs from agencies.)