UP: Pallavi Patel sits on dharna alleging corruption in technical education dept

Lucknow, Dec 16 (PTI) Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) national vice-president and Samajwadi Party MLA Pallavi Patel sat on a dharna in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue at the Vidhan Sabha premises till late Monday night demanding a probe against allegations of irregularities in the technical education department.

Pallavi is the elder sister of Union Minister Anupriya Patel, whose husband Ashish Patel is the state's technical education minister and against whom there are serious allegations of irregularities in the technical education department.

It has been alleged that instead of direct recruitment of department heads in the government polytechnic colleges under the technical education department held by Ashish Patel, the lecturers working in colleges have been promoted and made department heads.

It has also been alleged that if the posts were filled through direct recruitment, the candidates from backward and Dalit communities would have benefited from reservation, but they were allegedly deprived due to promotion of 177 lecturers against the rules.

Pallavi said that she sat on dharna in the assembly premises as she was not allowed to take up her issue.

"I wanted to take up the issue, but I was not allowed. I will continue raising my voice," Patel, who sat on dharna in the assembly premises till 10.30 pm, told PTI in a telephonic conversation.

"We want the High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter, which is of serious nature," she said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna met Pallavi and assured that her matter would be taken up in the House, those close to her said.

Senior Apna Dal (Soneylal) leader Ashish Patel had earlier alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched to "murder" him politically over reported irregularities in the promotion of teachers.

Patel also said that he would resign from his post without a second's delay the day he receives orders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Apna Dal (Soneylal) is a constituent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The minister's reaction came amid allegations that more than 100 lecturers in the technical education department were promoted in violation of reservation norms.

In a series of posts on X in Hindi late Sunday night, Patel had said, "Baseless and unfounded allegations are being made in the media and social media as part of a conspiracy to murder me politically. Entire Uttar Pradesh knows how the interests of staff coming from the deprived classes are protected in the technical education department during my tenure as minister." "Truth cannot be harmed! If the honourable chief minister deems it necessary, he should get the allegations investigated by the CBI. He should also get each and every decision taken by me as a minister probed by the CBI," he said.

"Everyone knows who is behind this. There will be more such allegations in the future. There will be others who will be scared of such false charges. Apna Dal (S) is not going to back down from the fight for the rights of the deprived," he added.

In another post, the minister said, "For the fight for social justice, @ApnaDalOfficial became a part of NDA in 2014 under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and in the presence of Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji. The day Honourable Prime Minister orders, I will resign from the post of minister without even a second's delay." According to sources, a BJP MLA from western Uttar Pradesh has accused Patel of irregularities in his department. PTI ABN AS AS