Akhilesh Yadav honours Jayaprakash Narayan bust amid security concerns

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav with supporters honours a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan mounted atop a vehicle, outside his residence, in Lucknow. Pic/PTI

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav garlanded a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan mounted on a vehicle outside his residence, where hundreds of his party workers had gathered, on Friday, reported PTI.

This gathering of party workers was owing to the advice from authorities discouraging the SP chief from visiting the JP International Centre (JPNIC) amid security concerns.

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Yadav had arrived at JPNIC on Thursday night, criticising the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath for blocking the main entrance with tin sheets, seemingly to prevent his entry.

On Friday morning, he further condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for putting up barricades near his house on Vikramaditya Marg to stop ‘Samajwadis' from visiting the site and paying tribute to JP Narayan on his birth anniversary.

A large group of SP workers assembled outside Yadav's residence and the uncertainty surrounding his planned visit to JPNIC remained.

Around 10.30 am, Yadav, surrounded by party workers wearing red caps and raising slogans alongside party flags,garlanded the bust of Narayan.

He was joined by prominent SP leaders, including Lal Bihari Yadav, Rajendra Choudhary, and Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey.

The SP chief expressed his frustration, stating, "On the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan ji, we go to the JPNIC museum every time to celebrate. But I don't know why this government stops us from doing it."

"This blockade by the BJP is not being done for the first time, it has blocked all good work. However, today, standing on the road, we are paying tribute to the 'Jan-Nayak'. This government wants to stop us from garlanding but we have done it here on the road itself," Yadav told the gathering, as per PTI.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister made serious allegations regarding the memorial at JPNIC, suggesting it is being kept under cover due to a "conspiracy to sell it". He said, "Imagine, there is a government which wants to sell a museum."

Earlier, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) had advised against Yadav's visit due to ongoing construction work at the site.

"It is to be informed that the Engineering Department, Lucknow Development Authority has provided a report regarding the updated status of the work site, in which the JP Narayan Convention Centre project is still under construction."

"The construction material is kept in an unplanned manner and due to the rainy season there is a possibility of the presence of unwanted living creatures. The site has not been found suitable for garlanding/visiting from the security point of view of Akhilesh Yadav, former chief minister, who has Z-Plus security," the LDA said in its letter dated October 10.

Yadav took to social media to share videos and images of the heavy security presence and barricades near his residence.

"Whether it is the BJP people or their government, their every action is a symbol of negativity. To prevent the Samajwadi people from garlanding the statue of JP Narayan Ji on his birth anniversary like last time, barricades have been put up around our private residence to stop them," he posted on X (formerly Twitter) in Hindi.

The SP chief accused the BJP of hindering progress in various areas such as harmony, peace, reservation policies, farmers' welfare, women's safety, youth development, employment generation, and development of PDAs (pichhde, Dalit, lpsankhyak).

"The BJP has always been against freedom fighters and the freedom movement. They have learnt from the colonial powers and supported them secretly. Everyone is saying today that they don't want the BJP," Yadav said.

Senior SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav also criticised the state government's actions.

"The BJP, intoxicated with power, wants to barricade democracy. The system of power can never prevail over the system of the people. Government, learn a lesson from the past! Dictatorship does not last long in a democracy," he posted on X along with videos of security deployment.

Last year, Yadav had similarly climbed over a gate at JPNIC to pay tribute to Narayan's statue installed by his government.

"This JPNIC, the museum of socialists, statue of JP Narayan and there are things inside on how we can understand socialism," he told reporters outside the Centre around midnight.

He questioned, "What is the government hiding by erecting these tin sheds? Is it possible that they are getting ready to sell it, or want to give it to someone?"

(With inputs from PTI)