LUCKNOW, Aug. 2 -- Former UP minister and Apni Janata Party chief Swami Prasad Maurya on Friday said the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to not merge schools falling at a distance of more than one kilometre is a big win for lakhs of students, parents and teachers of the state. "The Yogi government's U-turn on the school merger scheme is a big victory for us. Had this decision been implemented, the education of 13 lakh children would have been in danger. Fifty-four thousand cooks and thousands of shiksha mitras would have lost their jobs," he claimed. Maurya further claimed that his party started a movement from the block to the state headquarters and it got enormous support from students, parents and the general public due to which the government went on the backfoot on the issue. "The government should work within the ambit of democracy and should stop dictatorship," he said. "The so-called double engine governments at the Centre and in UP are known for suppressing the voice of the people and imposing anti-people decisions. The government's job is to make policies for public welfare, not to destroy basic systems like education," Maurya alleged....