On Wednesday, Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, jumped over the boundary wall of the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow after he was denied entry by the police to pay floral tributes to freedom fighter and anti-emergency campaigner, Jayaprakash Narayan, on his birth anniversary. Police cited security reasons while denying entry to the former chief minister.
Taking to X, former CM Akhilesh Yadav wrote: “On the birth anniversary of Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan, the great socialist thinker and a strong spokesperson of social justice, is the path of JPNIC being blocked by putting up these tin sheets to stop SP from laying the wreath? The truth is that BJP is afraid of repeating the memory of the movement launched by Loknayak Jayaprakash ji against corruption, unemployment and inflation because during the BJP rule, corruption, unemployment and inflation are many times more than since then.”
“Now will we have to call for ‘complete revolution’ like Jayaprakash Narayan ji even for garlanding? If this is acceptable to BJP then it is right,” asked Akhilesh Yadav.
महान समाजवादी विचारक, सामाजिक न्याय के प्रबल प्रवक्ता लोकनायक जयप्रकाश नारायण जी की जयंती पर अब क्या सपा को माल्यार्पण करने से रोकने के लिए ये टिन की चद्दरें लगाकर JPNIC का रास्ता रोका जा रहा है।
सच ये है कि भाजपा लोकनायक जयप्रकाश जी के भ्रष्टाचार, बेकारी-बेरोज़गारी और महंगाई के… pic.twitter.com/wg8N4NdyLO
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 11, 2023
Former CM also accused the current BJP government in the state of damaging the statue and museum of Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan. In an X post, he wrote: “The entire country and state should see what damage the BJP government has done to the statue and museum of Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan ji. This is an insult to a freedom fighter and also to a socialist thinker. How can the BJP, which did not participate in the freedom struggle, know the value of the struggle for freedom? History does not forgive those who do not respect history.”
भाजपा सरकार ने लोकनायक जयप्रकाश नारायण जी की प्रतिमा और संग्रहालय की क्या दुर्गति की है, सारे देश-प्रदेश को ये देखना चाहिए। ये एक स्वतंत्रता सेनानी का भी अपमान है और समाजवादी चिंतक का भी। आज़ादी की जंग में भाग न लेनेवाली भाजपा स्वतंत्रता के संघर्ष का मोल क्या जाने।
जो इतिहास का… pic.twitter.com/ypgW7SLQNH
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 11, 2023
Well, the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC)’s project was started by former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav during his tenure. Then on October 11, 2016, the building was inaugurated by Akhilesh Yadav during his tenure.