Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav breached a police barricade to garland a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan after officials stopped him from visiting JP International Centre. Yadav criticised the BJP government for blocking tributes to the Samajwadi leader and called on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to withdraw support from the NDA, citing JP's influence in political life.
"On the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan ji, we go to the JPNIC museum to celebrate. But I don't know why this government stops us. This blockade by the BJP is not the first. It has blocked all good work," Yadav said.
He wondered what kind of conspiracy this was that the BJP was celebrating the festival (ninth day of Navratri) but not allowing others to do so.
"Had it not been a day of festival these wooden structures (barricades) would not have been able to stop the Samajwadis," Yadav said. He further noted that there are lot of "socialist people" who are part of the government and involved in running the system.
"The chief Minister of Bihar (Nitish Kumar) also keeps talking about Jayaprakash Narayan ji from time to time, in fact he has emerged (as a politician) from JP's movement itself. This is a chance that he has got to withdraw support from a government which is stopping Samajwadis from remembering Jayaprakash on his anniversary," Yadav said.
"Samajwadis have given respect to him (JP) and will continue to do so," Yadav added. Kumar's JD(U) is part of the BJP-led NDA.
JDU reacts to statement
JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, "This statement is surprising. Today Akhilesh Yadav should tell the country which values of Jai Prakash inspire him and whether he adopted any of them or his party adopted them. There is no democracy in the Samajwadi Party. A particular family occupies the organisational posts of the entire party. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has adopted those life values in Bihar. Here you will not find any scope for nepotism. All the important steps for system change were taken by Nitish Kumar and people's lives were changed. At the Centre, we are with NDA under the leadership of Narendra Modi and in Bihar, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar NDA is working on the basis of JP's life values. Then what is the meaning of advising us to break ties?..."
Akhilesh Yadav pays tribute
Akhilesh Yadav on Friday garlanded a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan on a vehicle outside his residence after police obstruction prevented him from visiting the Jai Prakash Narayan International Center (JPNIC). Authorities blocked the area, citing security concerns, and hundreds of SP workers gathered to defy the restrictions.
Appeal to Nitish Kumar
Yadav urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sever ties with the BJP-led NDA, saying the government’s actions showed disrespect to Samajwadi leader Jaiprakash Narayan, who played a pivotal role in Kumar’s political rise. Yadav criticised the BJP for abandoning the Samajwadi tribute and asked them to oppose such acts of political resistance.
BJP government criticised for obstructions
Yadav criticised the UP government for putting up a barricade to block the entrance to JPNIC, where the JP Narayan memorial stands. He accused the BJP of conspiring to sell the museum and prevent tributes to prominent figures of the Indian socialist movement. He also shared videos of police cordoning off his residence on social media, accusing the government of misdeeds and obstructing the properties of freedom fighters.
A repeat of last year
Last year, he had climbed the gates of JPNIC to lay flowers on the statue of the leader erected by the SP government during Yadav's tenure as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Despite the obstruction, Yadav and his supporters paid symbolic tributes and further exacerbating tensions between the SP and BJP governments.
Also read | JPNIC row: Akhilesh garlands Loknayak's statue outside his residence, calls Yogi govt 'dumb, deaf, blind'
