Lucknow, March 18 (IANS) Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday alleged that another "community" had been insulted in Uttar Pradesh after a question from a Class 7 Sanskrit annual examination paper surfaced on social media, triggering a political controversy.

Sharing an image of the purported question paper on the social media platform X, the SP chief claimed that such incidents were happening deliberately at the behest of those in power.

In his post, he wrote that the incident indicated a pattern and raised questions about the process through which examination papers were prepared. He suggested that the composition of committees responsible for setting question papers should also be examined.

"The real question should not only be raised about the question itself, but also about whether people of the same background as those in power have been placed in the team that prepares the question papers," Akhilesh Yadav said.

He further argued that if even a single member from the allegedly "victimised" community had been part of the committee preparing the paper, such an option would not have been deliberately framed.

The image shared by Akhilesh Yadav appears to show a Sanskrit question paper for the 2026 annual examination of Class 7 students. One of the multiple-choice questions from the ‘Surasmriti’ lesson includes options referring to different figures, which the SP leader claimed was offensive to a particular community.

The post quickly drew reactions on social media, with supporters and critics debating the intent and interpretation of the question.

However, there was no immediate official response from authorities in Uttar Pradesh regarding the authenticity of the paper or the allegations raised by the Samajwadi Party leader.

Akhilesh Yadav, a former UP Chief Minister, also posted a series of hypothetical questions to illustrate his criticism, suggesting that if such trends continued, exam papers might begin including politically loaded or controversial questions related to recent events and governance issues.

Among the "Special Questions" he listed were:

"Is the phrase ‘Haata nahi bhaata’ a proverb or an idiom? Explain with its meaning."

"Who issued notices against the meetings of a particular community?"

"Who broke the traditional Sanatani practice of Shankaracharyas taking a holy dip during the Kumbh Mela?"

"Who kept a newly married person in jail despite being innocent?"

"During whose rule did the incident occur in which a poor mother and daughter’s hut was set on fire, leading to them being burned alive?"

"On whose instructions was the platform demolished to prevent the installation of a statue of a respected person from a particular community?"

"In Barabanki, who got whom beaten up, and what was the underlying purpose and message, and to whom was it directed?"

Under “Supplementary Questions”, he wrote:

"In our country’s freedom movement, who were the people playing the underground role of traitors or villains?"

"Who are called ‘Vanspativadi’ (vegetarian ideologues/plant-based adherents)?"

"Explain ‘withdrawal of cases’ with examples."

The controversy adds to the ongoing political sparring in the state, where opposition parties have repeatedly accused the government of allowing divisive narratives to seep into public discourse, including education.

--IANS

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