5 min readLucknowAug 8, 2026 01:45 PM IST
First published on: Aug 7, 2026 at 03:18 PM IST
In a remark that has sparked a buzz in political circles a year before the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Governor Anandiben Patel has invoked Gorakhpur as the political and spiritual base of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while flagging poor facilities at a local state university.
The Governor has pulled up the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University and the local administration over hostel infrastructure and student amenities. As Governor, Anandiben Patel is the chancellor of state universities in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing the 45th convocation ceremony of the university on Thursday, the Governor said, “Logon ko shayad bura lagega, lekin jo hamari kamiyan hain, woh to humein batani hi padegi. Aane wale teen mahine mein poora karke dikhao. Aur yeh to Gorakhpur hai, jahan swayam hamare Mukhyamantri virajmaan hain. Wahan hi aisi kamiyan rahengi to kya hoga? (People may not like it, but we have to point out our shortcomings. Show me within the next three months that these deficiencies have been addressed. And this is Gorakhpur, the Chief Minister’s home. If such shortcomings exist here, what will happen?”
The remarks carry political significance because they were made in Gorakhpur, which Adityanath represented in Parliament for five consecutive terms before becoming the Chief Minister. Gorakhpur is also home to the Gorakhnath Math, of which Adityanath is the Mahant.
Akhilesh Yadav, chief of Uttar Pradesh’s main opposition, has now latched to Patel’s remarks to take a swipe at alleged infighting within the BJP.
What Anandiben Patel said
The Governor said the university has nine hostels – six for boys and three for girls – but noted that the boys’ hostels don’t have a mess facility. “Girls hostel mein mess chal rahi hai, boys hostel mein nahi chalti. Kyon, tiffin mein achha lagta hai? (Girls’ hostels have mess facilities, but boys’ hostels don’t. Why? Is outside food better?” she asked.
Patel said she inspected the food served on campus during her stay, questioned the quality of cooking oil, and ordered testing of food samples.
At one point, she said that while one set of samples had been sent for testing, she ensured collection of another set that she would send for testing in Lucknow. “Sometimes, samples get switched. This used to happen in Gujarat. I am not saying this as a Governor. I am a mother. Our children should get proper food,” she said.
The Governor said food delivery services to the campus may also become a route for drugs to enter hostels, saying she had received such inputs during her visit, and found evidence of narcotics use in several universities across Uttar Pradesh.
“I have visited almost all state universities; only four remain. Narcotic substances have been found everywhere. I have photographs. Is this the Nasha Mukt Bharat we speak of? If students remain addicted, how will we build a developed India?” she asked.
Patel highlighted several shortcomings on campus, including gaps in Wi-Fi connectivity and power supply and lack of hygiene in many hostels, and asked officials to ensure a turnaround within three months.
What university said
Vice-Chancellor Poonam Tandon told The Indian Express that the university had initiated action after the Governor’s directions. “Along with the district administration, we have started work on the issues raised by the Governor and would try to resolve most of them within a week,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor said students had earlier resisted attempts to set up mess services at boys’ hostels. They had argued that the estimated cost of around Rs 100 per day (about Rs 3,000 a month) would be unaffordable. The university administration is now trying to find a solution, she said.
Tandon said the nearly 75-year-old university is now undergoing renovation with government funding. Repair work is underway in hostels, cupboards are being installed, and a proposal has been prepared to reconstruct an old hostel that was declared unsafe by the Public Works Department, she said.
Akhilesh Yadav takes a swipe
Yadav took to social media to share a video of Patel’s remarks at the university. Referring to her mention of samples being switched in Gujarat, he said, “While unravelling the ‘Gorakhpur model’, irregularities in the ‘Gujarat model’ have come to light. The common point is a BJP government and its corruption in both states. Infighting has turned the ‘double engine’ into ‘trouble engine’,” he said in a post on X.
‘Double engine’ is a pitch the BJP routinely uses in state polls to underline the advantage of having the same party in power at the state and the Centre.
Anandiben Patel and Akhilesh Yadav. (PTI Photo) 
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