Anandiben Patel’s Gorakhpur Speech Goes Viral Amid UP Election Build-Up
UP Governor Anandiben Patel speaks at DDU University in Gorakhpur. (Image video grab)
By AMIT KUMAR
Delivering an unusually candid assessment of student welfare at Deen Dayal Upadhyay University, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel questioned why hostel residents in a premier university located in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s hometown were being served substandard food.
Lucknow, August 7, 2026 — In remarks that have drawn widespread attention, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Thursday raised uncomfortable questions about student welfare in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s hometown, asking why hostel residents at Deen Dayal Upadhyay University were dependent on outside tiffin services and whether the food being served was fit for consumption. She also said food samples would be tested in Lucknow because “sometimes samples get changed.”
Patel was speaking at the 45th convocation at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay University in Gorakhpur. She particularly mentioned her dismay for the reason that the city is also the hometown of the state Chief Minister.
Video from parts of the speech of the Governor is widely trending on the internet. Her remarks have come amid media blitzkrieg by Adityanath-led government ahead of the Assembly elections.
Patel on Thursday expressed serious concern over the condition of hostels and the quality of food being served to students at DDU. She directed university authorities to address deficiencies within three months and ordered laboratory testing of food samples collected from the campus.
The Governor said shortcomings in infrastructure and student welfare were unacceptable, “particularly in Gorakhpur, the home district of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.”
“There are shortcomings and they must be removed within the next three months,” she said.
Reviewing hostel facilities, Patel noted that the university has nine hostels, including three for girls. Repair work is underway in one girls’ hostel and two boys’ hostels. However, she expressed concern that “while girls’ hostels have functioning mess facilities, boys depend on food supplied through private tiffin services.”
Questioning the arrangement, she asked why students were relying on outside food instead of a proper university-managed mess.
The Governor said she personally inspected the kitchen and food preparation during her stay at the university. On examining the cooking ingredients, she raised doubts about the quality of edible oil and other food items being used.
“I immediately called officials from the Food Department and had samples collected. We also kept an independent sample, which will be tested in Lucknow,” she said, adding that she wanted an independent verification because “sometimes samples get changed during the process.”
Patel directed officials to conduct parallel testing and submit the reports to the Vice-Chancellor for necessary action.
Speaking in an emotional tone, she said her concern was not merely administrative.
“I am not speaking only as the Governor. I speak as a mother. Our children deserve pure and nutritious food. If they continue eating poor-quality food, it will affect their health and even their ability to think,” she said.
The Governor also instructed the university to discontinue the practice of supplying meals through outside tiffin vendors and instead establish a proper institutional mess.
She warned that dependence on external tiffin services could create security as well as health risks. “If food comes from outside, anything can come with it. Even drugs and liquor can come. The university should make its own arrangements and engage qualified cooks instead of depending on outside suppliers,” she said.
Referring to her recent visit to another state university, Patel said cases involving narcotics and liquor had recently come to light there, underlining the need for stronger vigilance in educational institutions.
She asked university authorities to ensure that such lapses do not recur and to prioritise the health, safety and well-being of students residing on campus.
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