PRAYAGRAJ, July 14 -- Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday criticised the Samajwadi Party (SP) for opposing the ongoing merger of government primary schools, alleging that the party lacks real issues and is not concerned about the quality of education. Addressing the media in Prayagraj, Maurya said, "Only those schools with no or fewer students are being merged. The Allahabad high court has upheld this decision. SP's objection is baseless." He accused SP of undermining educational reforms during its tenure and recalled, "When Rajnath Singh was the education minister, an anti-cheating ordinance was introduced, but SP revoked it after coming to power." Maurya alleged that the Samajwadi Party has consistently supported crime and mafia instead of focusing on education. "SP has no moral right to talk about education," he said, adding that the current BJP government has brought transparency in examinations. Taking a dig at the opposition, Maurya claimed that SP in Uttar Pradesh and RJD in Bihar give shelter to criminals during elections. "Whenever elections approach, these parties bring criminals to the forefront. The NDA government will deal strictly with such elements," he warned. "Whenever elections approach, SP brings forward goons, mafias, and criminals. The same happens with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar," he said, warning of strict action by the NDA government. Commenting on the language row in Maharashtra, Maurya said both Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have lost public support. "Every Indian language deserves respect. Any misbehaviour on the basis of language is unacceptable," he said. Reacting to SP's criticism of the Kanwar Yatra, Maurya said, "These are the same people who or dered firing on Ram devotees and used force on Shiv devotees. Akhilesh Yadav's entire rule was anti-Hindu and centred on Muslim appeasement." On Congress leader Pramod Tiwari's remarks about the Bihar elections, Maurya said the BJP has continued to win public support, forming governments in three out of four recent state elections. He asserted that the NDA would return to power in Bihar. htc...