Minority Welfare Minister Danish Azad Ansari on 29 September challenged Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav over his fresh promises on madrassa development in Uttar Pradesh, questioning why the SP government took no such steps during its tenure from 2012 to 2017. Ansari cited statistics to argue that madrassa education in the state deteriorated most sharply under SP rule — a pointed counter to Yadav's pre-election outreach ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

What Akhilesh Yadav Promised

Yadav, addressing supporters on Monday, unveiled a string of commitments for the 2027 polls. These included restoring the Old Pension Scheme, upgrading the status of Shiksha Mitras to bring their facilities on par with regular teachers, resolving pending issues for Sanskrit school staff, and clearing outstanding salary dues for madrassa teachers. He also accused the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of deliberately targeting both madrasas and Sanskrit teachers.

Minister Ansari's Rebuttal

Ansari, while acknowledging that madrassa development would be a welcome step if genuinely pursued, was unsparing in his critique of SP's record. 'A government is run through documents, not words. Neither were your policies good, nor did you have any intention to develop Muslims of the state,' he said. He insisted that data from the SP's five-year term showed madrassa education was at its weakest precisely when the party held power — a charge that directly undercuts Yadav's current positioning as a champion of minority welfare.

BJP and Congress Weigh In

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain dismissed any prospect of an SP return to power and accused Yadav of misleading Muslim children by centering his education agenda on madrasas alone. Hussain argued that the BJP's approach was to educate all children in quality schools so they could aspire to become doctors, engineers, and professors, alleging that Yadav's vision would confine Muslim children to roles as imams and maulvis.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput offered a more conditional endorsement, saying that if madrasas and other institutions were developed with democracy and the Constitution as their foundation, such efforts would be welcome. However, he alleged that the BJP raises the madrassa issue primarily to stoke communal tensions rather than to advance education.

Other Voices in the Debate

Congress MP Imran Masood urged caution, telling Yadav to first secure a mandate before announcing policy. Masood added that all institutions — madrasas included — must be strengthened so that children from less privileged backgrounds gain access to quality education. This comes amid a broader pre-election scramble across parties to define their minority outreach credentials ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2027 UP Assembly election.

With multiple parties now staking competing claims on madrassa reform, the debate is likely to intensify as the election cycle moves closer.