JPNIC row: SP, Congress call it 'tyranny' of govt, BJP leaders hit back with 'anarchy' barb

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party and Congress leaders attacked the BJP over the JPNIC issue calling it a 'tyranny'. Hitting back, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and called it a "double standard" of Akhilesh Yadav.

The political rivalry between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the ruling BJP intensified, centred around the Jayaprakash Narayan International Convention Center (JPNIC) in Gomti Nagar after the Lucknow Development Authority 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.

JP, as the late socialist ideologue and fierce critic of the Emergency was known, has emerged as the latest centre of the tussle between the ruling BJP and the opposition party. Friday was the late socialist leader's birth anniversary.

Congress State president Ajay Rai condemned the actions of the government, stating, "This is the extreme tyranny of this government. The same thing was done last year too. I think they are preparing to destroy it (JPNIC) or sell it to some big businessman."

Shivpal Singh Yadav, National General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party, voiced concerns over the prevention of garlanding the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan, asserting that the BJP and state government are perpetuating oppression through police actions.

"If we could have garlanded JP’s statue today, it would have been a moment of respect," Yadav remarked.

"Instead, the BJP’s actions reflect a deliberate disregard for our history and leaders," Yadav said.

He emphasised that the movement initiated by Jayaprakash Narayan serves as an inspiration for the SP to launch a renewed effort against the BJP, reaffirming their commitment to social justice and democratic values.

In response, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya criticised Akhilesh Yadav’s duality. He said, "This is a huge double standard of SP chief Shri Akhilesh Yadav. On one hand, he openly serves Rahul Gandhi, while on the other hand, he wants to worship ‘Loknayak’ Jayaprakash Narayan, who freed the country from the dark dictatorship of Congress.”

Slamming the SP, the UP BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary took to social media, asserting, "Anarchy and hooliganism have become the identity of the Samajwadi Party."

He accused the SP members of attempting to create chaos during a time when the nation celebrates the sacred festival of 'Mahanavami' dedicated to Goddess Bhagwati.

Chaudhary further stated in his post on 'X', "The leaders of the Samajwadi Party, who have always shown leniency towards Congress, are now offering fake tributes to Loknayak. The Bharatiya Janata Party government is fully committed to ensuring the safety of all the people of the state and successfully celebrating all festivals with joy and peace.”

Earlier in the day, Yadav slammed the BJP government in the state for putting up barricades near his house on Vikramaditya Marg and alleged that it was done to prevent 'Samajwadis' from visiting the site and garlanding Narayan's statue on his birth anniversary.

However, a defiant SP chief Akhilesh Yadav Friday garlanded a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan mounted atop a vehicle outside his residence where hundreds of party workers had gathered.

On Thursday evening, the SP claimed that the government had intentionally covered the doors of the convention centre to prevent SP president Akhilesh Yadav from visiting on October 12, the birth anniversary of the esteemed socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan.