Akhilesh Yadav told not to visit Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre due to 'security concerns', slams UP govt for barricading venue

Last year, Yadav had to climb over the gate of JPNIC in Gomti Nagar to garland a statue of Jai Prakash Narayan located in the premises.

Lucknow: The Lucknow Development Authority has informed SP chief Akhilesh Yadav that his planned visit to the JP Narayan International Centre here on Friday is "not advisable" as it cited security concerns due to the ongoing construction work at the site.

After a high-voltage drama outside the JPNIC late Thursday, Yadav on Friday morning slammed the BJP government in the state for putting up barricades near his house on Vikramaditya Marg to prevent 'Samajwadis' from visiting the site and garlanding Jayaprakash Narayan's statue.

October 11 is the birth anniversary of socialist stalwart and anti-Emergency movement icon Narayan, fondly called JP.

In a letter referencing their correspondence dated October 8, the LDA noted that Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh who is accorded Z-plus security, intended to pay homage to the statue located at the convention centre.

"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 and shared video clips and pictures of the deployment of security personnel, including police and rapid action force, with barricades near his house here, a stone's throw away from the Samajwadi Party headquarters.

"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 in Hindi.

The SP chief accused the BJP of creating hurdles in the path of harmony, peace, reservation, farmers' welfare, women's safety, youth development, employment generation, and development of PDAs (pichhde, Dalit, alpsankhyak).

"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 Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav also hit out at the state government over the issue.

"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.

On the eve of JP Narayan's birth anniversary, Akhilesh had late last night reached JPNIC in the Gomti Nagar area and lambasted the Yogi Adityanath government for barring its main gate behind tin sheets apparently to prevent entry.

Last year, too, Yadav had to climb over the gate of the JPNIC to garland the statue of JP Narayan that was installed on the premises by the SP government led by him.

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

"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?" he added.