Defiant Akhilesh garlands JP Narayan's bust outside his residence, urges Nitish Kumar to pull out of NDA

In the morning, he slammed the BJP government in the state for putting up barricades near his house to prevent 'Samajwadis' from visiting the site and garlanding JP Narayan's statue on his birth anniversary.
 Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav garlands the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan to mark his birth anniversary, at Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC), in Lucknow, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav garlands the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan to mark his birth anniversary, at Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC), in Lucknow, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.Photo | PTI
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LUCKNOW: The Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow housing a museum dedicated to socialist ideologue Jayaprakash Narayan has turned out to be a new flashpoint between Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Yogi Adityanath government.

On Thursday night, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) barricaded the entrances to the JPNIC with tin sheets to prevent the anticipated gathering of SP leaders, including chief Akhilesh Yadav and party workers to mark the birth anniversary of the iconic socialist leader.

However, the move prompted a sharp reaction from the Samajwadi Party with party chief Akhilesh Yadav reaching JPNIC on Thursday midnight to oppose restriction.

Yadav lashed out at the BJP while standing in front of the tin barricades.

On Friday morning, going a step further, the authorities reinforced the barricades not only on the entrances of JPNIC but also on Vikramaditya Marg which has both Akhilesh Yadav’s residence and SP headquarters with the deployment of scores of police officers.

Meanwhile the SP chief, on Friday, decided to garland a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan mounted atop a vehicle outside his residence where hundreds of party workers had gathered after authorities blocked his visit to the JP International Centre citing security concerns.

However, Yadav called upon Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to withdraw support to the NDA, saying the BJP government in UP stopped ‘Samajwadis’ from paying tributes to JP, as JD(U) chief owed his political emergence to the JP movement.

However, hours after Akhilesh’s statement asking Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to ‘quit’ the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), KC Tyagi, a senior member of the Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) responded by saying it was Yadav who should call off his alliance with the Congress because of what happened during the Emergency.

“The movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan was against the ‘dictatorship’ of the Congress. Emergency was imposed on June 25 (1975). There was no freedom of expression. Akhilesh Yadav's remark is inappropriate…I want to remind him both his father (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and Nitish Kumar were jailed during the Emergency. He should end his partnership with a party that curtailed people's freedom and violated all democratic norms,” Tyagi said.

Meanwhile, Yadav slammed the BJP government, saying it was hiding something, which was why he was stopped from visiting JPNIC. “It is a conspiracy to sell the world-class building.” He added that JPNIC was opened to the public but the work on it remains incomplete. “I have heard they have even paid an additional Rs 70 crore to their preferred builder, yet the work remains incomplete,” alleged Akhilesh Yadav while interacting with media persons.

He added SP used to celebrate JP’s birth anniversary every year, and they would do so again at JPNIC once the police were removed. “The government, once deaf and dumb, has now gone blind.” He added, had not it been for Navratri and Ram Navami, SP workers would have removed barricades put up to prevent him from visiting JPNIC. “I appeal to Nitish Kumar to reconsider his support to BJP in light of the insult to JP,” said Yadav.

Akhilesh Yadav had inaugurated JPNIC in 2016 during his tenure as UP CM but construction stalled after the BJP government was formed in Lucknow in 2017. In fact, the construction was stalled alleging disproportionate escalation in cost and a probe was ordered into the matter.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is currently responsible for its maintenance. Yadav's request to visit the JPNIC was turned down by the LDA on Tuesday, citing safety concerns due to ongoing construction and insect risks after the rain. Lucknow Police also denied him permission.

In a letter on Thursday, the LDA underlined Yadav's Z - plus security status, stating that it is "not safe and appropriate for him to garland the statue and visit JPNIC... due to security reasons".

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