Mulayam Singh Yadav to give laptops and tablets for school passouts

By Piyush Srivastava

PUBLISHED: 19:46 EST, 1 March 2013 | UPDATED: 19:46 EST, 1 March 2013

It's one of the ambitious poll promises of ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) that is set to see a timely execution.

Laptops and tablets are ready for distribution among Class X and XII passouts in Uttar Pradesh and for those wondering when would they be showered with their share of sops, the gadgets scream from the cover: "pure honge waade (promises will be fulfilled)".

The message accompanies a photo of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on the cover and screen of the gadgets.

Laptops will be given to Class XII passouts of government schools

About 15 lakh students who cleared Class XII this year from state government-run and aided schools would get laptops while 26.62 lakh Class X passouts would get tablets. This scheme will cost the state government Rs 3,000 crore annually.

A state minister said Mulayam is aiming to woo more than 41 lakh students by distributing the gadgets. "Some of them may be below 18 years at the moment, but Mulayam's analysis is that out of 41 lakh new and young supporters of the SP, at least 30 lakh would be firsttime voters in 2014. The family of the students would have at least two members each. They too will become our supporters. Such promises had brought us to power in the state. Fulfilling them would make them new voters of the SP," he said.

"The pictures of Mulayam and Akhilesh on laptops and tablets would ensure that the voters keep them in mind at the polling booth," the minister added.

The photos on the gadgets, however, have not gone down well with the leaders of the Opposition parties. Swami Prasad Maurya, general secretary of the Bahujan Samaj Party, said: "The SP government is using public money for political gains. We will oppose it at every level," he added.