The Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) has been sealed, barricaded, and a police presence deployed ahead of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s planned visit on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan.
Yadav visited JPNIC on Thursday evening after the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) denied him permission to visit the site on Friday, citing security concerns. Criticizing the Uttar Pradesh government, Yadav pointed out that the entrance had been blocked with tin sheets, questioning why the government was preventing them from honoring a great leader.
“The government is trying to hide something behind this tin boundary. Why are we not allowed to pay tribute to a great leader? This happens every year on Jayaprakash Narayan’s birth anniversary when SP members gather to honor him. What is the government hiding? This site is not under construction—it’s going to be sold,” Yadav said.
In a letter dated October 10, the LDA stated that JPNIC remains a construction site, with scattered materials and possible insect infestations due to rain. The letter also mentioned that due to Yadav’s Z-plus security cover, visiting the site and garlanding the statue would pose safety concerns.
Yadav accused the government of erecting barriers to prevent people from paying tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds animosity toward freedom fighters like Narayan. In a post on X, Yadav wrote, “This is the so-called ‘Amritkal’ of freedom under BJP rule. A wall has been raised to stop people from paying homage, symbolizing the BJP’s closed-mindedness.”
He further criticized the BJP, saying, “The BJP harbors ill will toward every freedom fighter like Jayaprakash Narayan who participated in the country’s freedom struggle. Their guilt, for not having taken part in the freedom struggle, prevents them from paying tribute to revolutionaries even on their birth anniversaries. This is condemnable!”
Earlier, the Samajwadi Party shared a video on X showing workers installing tin sheets at the entrance of JPNIC. The party condemned the BJP government, accusing it of attacking democracy. They stated, “The UP government’s move to re-seal JPNIC, named after Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan, on his birth anniversary is highly condemnable. Not allowing garlanding of Jayaprakash Narayan’s statue is dirty politics. This anti-people government has insulted great men by halting development work at JPNIC in Lucknow. Socialists will not bow to these dictators!”
Jayaprakash Narayan is remembered for leading the first non-Congress government in India by uniting the Opposition during the Emergency. He spearheaded a “Sampoorna Kranti” (total revolution) against then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the mid-1970s.