A case has been registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Farhad Alam Gada in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district after a viral video surfaced showing him allegedly teaching school children a politically themed alphabet lesson. The video, which quickly gained traction on social media, shows uniformed schoolchildren being taught letters like “A for Akhilesh,” “B for Babasaheb,” “D for Dimple,” and “M for Mulayam Singh Yadav.”
According to Saharanpur police officials, the video was filmed at Gada’s residence in Ramnagar, and the children involved are reportedly from a private school. SP City Vyom Bindal confirmed that an FIR has been registered based on a complaint by local resident Men Singh from Kallarpur Gurjar village. The complaint alleges that the SP leader used the so-called "PDA Pathshala" (school) as a platform to introduce political messaging to minors through the alphabet.
Akhilesh Yadav slams FIR
Reacting strongly to the FIR, Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav criticised the BJP-led state government. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Yadav wrote,
“Even the British didn’t file FIRs against education. BJP’s anti-education face is now in front of the public. The party will be wiped out forever. Shameful.”
Farhad Alam defends initiative
In his defence, Farhad Alam claimed that the PDA Pathshala was not solely about teaching alphabets but aimed to introduce children to influential figures of the Samajwadi ideology. He added that he plans to set up similar schools across the district to promote political awareness and social justice values among the youth.
FIRs registered in other districts as well
The controversy isn't limited to Saharanpur. In Kanpur’s Bilhaur block, SP leader Rachna Singh Gautam was also booked for allegedly organising an unauthorised PDA Pathshala outside a government primary school in Shahmpur Garhi village. Meanwhile, in Bhadohi, police have filed another FIR against an SP leader and over a dozen individuals accused of involving schoolchildren in protests against the state government’s school merger policy, aimed at consolidating low-enrollment institutions.
Growing political tensions
These incidents come amid increasing political friction in Uttar Pradesh, with opposition parties accusing the ruling BJP of suppressing educational freedom and dissent. On the other hand, the government argues that politicisation of young children in academic settings is both unethical and unlawful.
As investigations continue, the debate over what constitutes acceptable educational content—and the extent to which politics should enter classrooms—has taken centre stage in the state’s political discourse.
