Boys remind Akhilesh of his promise, land in soup

They were upset at not getting free tablets as promised

An angry reminder to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav by two students from the state, about his yet to be fulfilled promise to give free tablets to those, who cleared the high school examination of the UP Board, landed them in trouble, when they were picked up by police for questioning.

Though the two students were released after 15 hours, their harried parents kept making rounds of the police station as they did not know what crime the duo had committed.

According to reports, the two youngsters, students of 11th standard at a school in UP’s Sant Kabir Nagar district, about 225 km from here, identified as Dharmendra Yadav and Mitrasen Yadav, had a few days ago sent a text message to the chief minister asking him about the free tablets.

“When they did not get any response from the chief minister, they called up the number and had a chat with him. During the chat the duo reminded him about the tablets and also narrated their difficulties owing to prolonged power cuts in their area... the chief minister assured them that the tablets will be distributed shortly,” their family members said.

The police, however, claimed that the duo again called up the number a few days later.
“The phone was answered by someone else from the chief minister’s office... the students used indecent language while speaking with the official,” police sources said adding that their number was put on surveillance and they were subsequently traced.
The Special Task Force (STF) of the UP police raided their homes on Tuesday night and took them away for questioning. They were released only after 15 hours with a warning.
The Samajawadi Party (SP) had during the recent Assembly polls promised to give free laptops to every student passing the 12th and tablets to every one clearing 10th if it formed a government in the state.

The pass percentage for the high school and intermediate both registered a sharp increase this year making thing difficult for the cash starved state.  Considering the financial health of the state, it is certain to be burden on the exchequer. The fiscal deficit in the state budget was pegged at 21,570 crore for 2012-13, which is 2.96 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product.

The budget of the state echoed the poll promises of the SP and an amount of rs. 27 thousand crore was earmarked for meeting the expenditure on the promises made by the party during the recently concluded assembly elections.