Last year Mr Yadav, not given permission to visit the site, refused to back down; the ex-UP Chief Minister jumped over a wall to garland the statue.
Lucknow:
The Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre, or JPNIC, in Lucknow — which contains a museum dedicated to the memory of the iconic socialist leader and politician — is at the heart of a brewing political row between Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Entrances to the JPNIC were barricaded by tin sheets last night — prompting Akhilesh Yadav to launch a fierce attack on the BJP — and those barricades were reinforced this morning by scores of cops. This comes ahead of plans to garland a statue of JP Narayan — inside the JPNIC — on his birth anniversary.
Mr Yadav also shared videos on X showing police barriers outside his party’s office.
The Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre, or JPNIC, in Lucknow — which contains a museum dedicated to the memory of the iconic socialist leader and politician — is at the heart of a brewing political row between Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Entrances to the JPNIC were barricaded by tin sheets last night — prompting Akhilesh Yadav to launch a fierce attack on the BJP — and those barricades were reinforced this morning by scores of cops. This comes ahead of plans to garland a statue of JP Narayan — inside the JPNIC — on his birth anniversary.
Mr Yadav also shared videos on X showing police barriers outside his party’s office.
“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 Jayaprakash Narayanji on his birth anniversary, like the last time, barricades have been put up around our private residence…”
The row erupted late last night after Mr Yadav — refused permission to visit due to “safety concerns over construction work and a possibility of many insects due to rain” — ripped into the state government.
“What does the government want to hide by blocking the gate with tin sheets? A museum was built here… we want to pay tribute to a great man… a socialist thinker. Why is the government doing this? “This government is scared,” he replied, “… but can his ideology be stopped?”
Last year Mr Yadav, not given permission to visit the site, refused to back down; the ex-UP Chief Minister jumped over a wall to garland the statue.
“This is not the first time,” he raged last night, “Every year on this day socialists used to gather here. They garlanded the statue and expressed their views. This great leader, who gave the slogan of total revolution, did not bow down before the government of the time.”
The JPNIC was inaugurated by Mr Yadav in 2016, when he was Chief Minister.
Construction, though, was paused after the BJP swept to power in the 2017 election. Mr Yadav alleged last night this was a deliberate move and that there are plans to sell off the structure.
“But the programme (to garland the statue) will continue,” he vowed.
