Azad Samaj Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Azad on Tuesday, 20 September 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, accusing it of manufacturing election-eve optics to mask nearly a decade of alleged recruitment failures. Azad was speaking in Ayodhya, where he had gone to meet the family of Ram Lagan Maurya, who died following a firing incident in Kandaiala village on 25 August.

The Trigger: A Condolence Visit Turns Political

Maurya had sustained injuries in a land-dispute-related firing in Ayodhya's Kandaiala village on 25 August; his mother, also wounded in the same attack, later succumbed to her injuries. Azad's visit to the bereaved family provided the backdrop for a broader broadside against the state administration, as he addressed reporters on the employment crisis gripping Uttar Pradesh.

What Azad Said About Jobs

'Now appointment letters will be distributed, and announcements for new vacancies will be made. There will be talk of providing new facilities, but the truth is that everyone knows exactly how many appointment letters have actually been issued over the last nine and a half years,' Azad said. He alleged that the timing of recruitment drives — announced in close proximity to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections — was a deliberate electoral tactic rather than a genuine policy commitment.

Azad cited distress across multiple workforce categories, alleging an 'outcry' among PRD personnel, police personnel, Panchayat Assistants, Rozgar Sevaks, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and candidates holding B.Ed. and BTC qualifications. He claimed the state has a backlog of between 4.5 lakh and 5 lakh unfilled vacancies. 'Why have you kept these posts vacant for so long? This is merely a tactic to sway votes in their favour during the election. The public knows everything,' he said.

'False Facades' and the 2027 Countdown

Azad framed the government's pre-election announcements as cosmetic. 'Now that nine and a half years have passed, and with the people's court approaching in 2027 — they are trying to erect false facades to hide their sins and misdeeds, but the public can see right through this,' he remarked. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has been in power since 2017, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the helm across two consecutive terms.

Education System and Para-Teacher Reliance

Azad also questioned the government's decision to rely on Anudeshaks (instructors) and Shiksha Mitras (para-teachers) rather than regularising full-salaried teachers. 'Strengthening the country's education system requires bringing in good teachers. Instead, out of sheer expediency, you are relying on Anudeshaks and Shiksha Mitras to do the work without paying them full salaries. This reflects the government's irresponsible attitude,' he said, criticising the absence of a fresh B.Ed. and BTC teacher recruitment drive.

Migrant Distress and Youth Unemployment

The MP painted a grim picture of youth employment prospects, stating that educated graduates were 'wandering around with their degrees in hand.' He added that hundreds of thousands of people in settlements he had visited were being forced to migrate to other states for work — a charge that echoes longstanding criticism of Uttar Pradesh's labour market, where out-migration to states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Delhi has historically been high. As 2027 draws nearer, Azad's remarks signal that employment will be a central battleground in the state's electoral contest.