As Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav campaigns extensively for the assembly elections in Bihar, his party on Tuesday reiterated its demand for the completion and full functioning of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) satellite branch in Bihar’s Kishanganj district.
The party identified the educational backwardness of the Seemanchal region, of which Kishanganj is a part, as the primary cause of its economic backwardness and that of Bihar. He added that the SP is trying to address Seemanchal’s development needs and calls for a broader solidarity of socialist and democratic forces to create a world-class educational infrastructure.
“We have been pushing for the AMU Kishanganj campus, in line with our wider agenda of social justice and PDA rights. Bureaucratic hurdles like land acquisition and thus infrastructure planning have contributed to the delay. SP is trying very hard to address Seemanchal’s development, especially after the Sachar committee report raised the issue, for which SP stands for its secular and socialist third party, which plays the theological role as an alternative and plays socialist third party theology. Victory at AMU Kishanganj will serve as a symbolic and substantial commitment to equality in education,” SP spokesperson Naseer Salim said.
Mr Salim, who is the great-grandson of Lady Anees Imam, one of the founders of modern Bihar who played a prominent role in the anti-colonial movement before independence, added that the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) slate, which also includes aadhi aabadi (women) and upper castes, remains central to the SP’s vision.
The campus of AMU Kishanganj remains incomplete even after more than a decade, functioning from temporary buildings with only one functional playground. Established in 2011 as part of a nationwide initiative for higher education among the Muslim population on the recommendation of the Human Resource Development Ministry, the branch is currently functioning from a temporary structure at Halim Chowk in Kishanganj.
Seemanchal region is considered to be one of the most backward parts of India in terms of education and almost all other indicators of human development.
Another SP leader and national spokesperson Ram Pratap Singh said, “Samajwadi Party’s PDA ideology is for creating infrastructure and providing first-class education at all levels. This would mean that we not only need to strengthen our existing higher education institutions but replicate successful models across the country.”
Mr. Yadav is currently campaigning across Bihar and addressing many rallies daily in support of INDIA Bloc candidates.
Speaking about Lady Anees Imam’s activism, Mr. Salim said, “Lady Anees Imam’s activism was deeply linked to social reform and the educational upliftment of women in Bihar. Her struggle was not only political, it was cultural and educational, aimed at transforming the mindset of a society that had long excluded women from public and intellectual life.
“Lady Imam was among the first Muslim women in Bihar to publicly reject purdah, challenging entrenched patriarchal norms across both Hindu and Muslim communities. She founded institutions such as Aghor Kamini Shilpalaya and Aghor Nari Pratishan that provided industrial and vocational training to women, especially in Patna and the surrounding regions. Her struggle was not just about resisting women to become agents of colonial power for change; it was about change.”
Asked if Lady Imam contributed to the anti-colonial movement in the United Provinces, present-day Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Salim said her main base was Bihar, though her influence extended beyond regional boundaries.
“She led a delegation to England on behalf of the All India Congress to oppose the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, a national-level crackdown that affected politicians throughout British India, including the Hindu Belt. Her contributions were national in scope, rather than geographically concentrated in the Hindu Belt. Her work spanned the elite and Muslim rank-and-file, demonstrating strong activity in a stratified society.” said SP spokeswoman.
When asked whether the magnitude of social injustice against women has decreased in recent decades or merely re-emerged, SP National Spokesperson Ram Pratap Singh said: “Yes and no is my answer. Yes, education, healthcare and social welfare have marginally improved. More is being talked about to create political optics, but actually delivering on the ground is no significant dream for women as it has been for the past two decades. This is evident from the abysmally low, around 15%, female labor force participation in most Indian states which has also not improved much.
Published – November 4, 2025 10:13 PM IST
