LUCKNOW, July 19 -- Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday extended support to students and parents fighting to save Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, alleging that the BJP government was targeting the institution out of political vendetta.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Yadav described the university as a "temple of education" and warned the ruling dispensation against destroying the future of thousands of students, many of whom come from economically weaker and minority backgrounds.

The SP chief appealed to people across the country to support the campaign to protect the university, emphasising that students from all communities study there. "Has the BJP now turned against the youth of every community?" he asked,...