Patna: On the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan, political tensions flared from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar. The Uttar Pradesh government prevented former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from visiting the JP Convention Center in Lucknow to pay tribute. In response, Yadav garlanded the statue of JP installed at his residence and called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to withdraw support from the NDA government.
Speaking in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav highlighted the influence of the Jai Prakash Narayan movement on Nitish Kumar’s political career, stating, “This is the opportunity for Nitish Kumar to withdraw support from the government. If not for the barricading, they would have broken it to attend the tribute ceremony.”
In response, JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan criticized Yadav, saying he should not only pay tribute but also follow JP’s principles, emphasizing that Jai Prakash Narayan did not endorse nepotism or dynasty politics. BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna added that if JP were alive today, he would have rejected tributes from leaders like Akhilesh and Lalu Prasad Yadav, who have been accused of corruption.
The UP government justified its decision to prevent Yadav from attending the event, citing safety concerns due to rain and the possible presence of animals at the JP Convention Center. Barricades were placed outside Yadav’s residence, and security forces were deployed. In protest, Yadav’s supporters moved the statue to the roadside, where he garlanded it and renewed his appeal to Nitish Kumar.
This marks the second consecutive year of conflict between Yadav and the UP government over access to the JP Convention Center on Jai Prakash Narayan’s birth anniversary. The construction of the center, which began under Yadav’s government in 2013, remains incomplete, with public access still restricted since the Yogi government took office in 2017.
