New Delhi: SP members in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of depriving Dalits and poor children of the right to education by shutting down and merging state-run schools, while focusing on opening liquor shops in every village.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Dharmendra Yadav alleged there was a state of autocracy in Uttar Pradesh even as the country is celebrating 75 years of Independence.

"Even though we have the Right to Education law, in Uttar Pradesh 1.26 lakh schools are being closed down while 5,000 are getting merged. Recruitment of more than two lakh teachers too has been stalled," Yadav said.

He added that while children from Dalit and poor families are being deprived of primary education due to the state government's 'school pairing' policy, more than 27,000 liquor shops have come up across the state.

Neeraj Maurya (SP) said that government schools in Uttar Pradesh are in a "grave state" and are being closed down.

"When Akhilesh Yadav was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, students were given laptops. Now, the state is getting liquor shops," he said.

He demanded that the government halt the closure of state-run schools and instead open more Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas.

Naresh Chandra Patel (SP) pointed out that while the state government claims education is a fundamental right, its school-merging policies are forcing students to travel longer distances — up to 2-3 km — to attend classes.

"Is this 'New India' where liquor shops are being opened in every village, while schools are being moved away from the villages?" Patel asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government has faced criticism for its school pairing initiative, which aims to merge institutions with low enrolment to optimise resources and enhance early childhood education for children aged three to six years.