Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was reportedly denied entry to the JP International Center in Lucknow, hurled a bust of Jayaprakash Narayan atop a vehicle outside his residence on Friday. The incident took place in the aftermath of the freedom fighter's birth anniversary.
The SP chief took to social media to share photos of him hurling the bust while surrounded by a huge crowd on the streets of Lucknow.
Yadav captioned the photos as, “Tributes to the great freedom fighter Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan on his birth anniversary. We will not stop, we will not be afraid. They will oppress us, we will bow. Long live the Samajwadi Party!”
What is JP Narayan's row of statues?
In his earlier posts on
He alleged that barricades were set up near his house as authorities blocked his visit to the JP International Center in Lucknow, citing security concerns.
Hundreds of SP workers also gathered outside Yadav's residence as uncertainty remained over Yadav's planned visit to the Jayaprakash Narayan International Center (JPNIC).
At around 10.30 am, a bust of Narayan mounted on a vehicle was garlanded by Yadav on the road full of SP workers.
What we know so far
1. Samajwadi Party leader ST Hasan lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, saying it appeared they would be celebrating Godse's birth anniversary and not that of freedom fighters.
“Every Indian is proud of him and the SP has the right to celebrate his birth anniversary. I don't understand why they won't let us celebrate his birthday. It seems they will celebrate Godse's birth anniversary and not that of the freedom fighters.” We are ashamed of this government and their behavior. We have condemned the manner in which Akhilesh Yadav is being stopped,” Hasan said.
2. SP National General Secretary Professor Ram Gopal Yadav on Friday called on Samajwadi Party workers and leaders to block the roads from Akhilesh Yadav's residence in Lucknow to the Jaiprakash Narayan Convention Center.
3. Akhilesh Yadav sparked a controversy by urging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to withdraw his party's support to the BJP-led Central government on the issue. He said, “Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar emerged from his (Jai Prakash Narayan) movement. This is an opportunity for Nitish Kumar to withdraw support from the government, which is not allowing the socialist to pay tribute to Jai Prakash Narayan on his birth anniversary. “
4. JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad called Yadav's comments “bizarre”. He was quoted by PTI as saying, “It is a bizarre comment by Akhilesh Yadav who does politics in the name of JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) but never cares about the principles of the late leader who spent his entire life against the rule of the dynasty fought.”
Prasad also slammed Congress leader Pawan Khera for endorsing Yadav's statement and pointed out that “the Congress had caused untold misery to JP and his followers”.
5. Meanwhile, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said Yadav should break his alliance with parties against which Jai Prakash Narayan spoke if he wants to pay tribute.
“If he really wants to pay fair tribute to Jai Prakash Narayan, he should break his alliance with the parties against which Jai Prakash raised his voice during the Emergency and went to jail. He needs to stop his drama. Even he is aware that There are other ways to show respect. Akhilesh Yadav should refrain from such political stunts. He should not forget that it was the Vajpayee government that rewarded Jai Prakash Narayan…,” Ilmi said.