Denied permission to enter JPNIC, Akhilesh scales wall to offer tribute to JP

Speaking to mediapersons after offering floral tribute at the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan inside the JPNIC, Akhilesh said it was unfortunate that policemen were deployed to stop him from entering the JPNIC.

“I am sad that they have deployed police to stop me. People should know who is the one stopping me. Every year, I come here to offer floral tribute. I remember when JPNIC was inaugurated, Netaji (SP founder and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav) had come here. A museum was built here for the socialist leader, the only one in the country so that people could be inspired by his life. People can get inspiration on how to raise their voice in a democracy against the government,” he said.

Accusing the BJP government of “stifling the voice of people”, the former chief minister said: “They (BJP government) are shutting down the museum built for JP (Jayaprakash Narayan). Which failure of yours are you hiding? They don’t let people enter. Not just the museum, but the building too,” Akhilesh added.

Stating that people must fight against the current government’s “authoritative power”, the SP chief said, “JP had given the call of sampoorn kranti (total revolution)… Without people, democracy, socialism and secularism won’t be saved.”

Meanwhile, an official of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) cited “security concerns” behind denying Akhilesh permission to enter the JPNIC.

JPNIC, spread over a three-acre plot in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow, was a project of former chief minister and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. The construction of the multi-functional centre was started in 2013 with a budget of Rs 865 crore. It was inaugurated in 2016 by then chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. At present, the centre is under the care of LDA. Officials said that the for last seven years, no work has been done at the centre due to a lack of funds.

Akhilesh Yadav at the JPNIC (Express Photo)

“He (Akhilesh) had sought permission to enter the centre and had sent a letter to the LDA. The permission was denied. Since he climbed the boundary wall and entered the premises, it is a law-and-order issue and should be dealt with by the police,” said an official, adding a decision on filing a police complaint would be taken.

Speaking with The Indian Express, Lucknow Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Upendra Kumar Agrawal said that action will be taken if a complaint is received from the LDA. “The incident happened at an LDA site. If they give us a complaint, we will take action. So far, no complaint has been submitted,” said Agrawal.

Reacting to the incident, BJP leader and UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the SP president has proved that his party likes “arajakta” (anarchy) and “goondai” (lawlessness) with his behaviour today.

“The way he jumped the wall and entered the premises to pay floral tribute in a building sealed by the LDA, it is clear he doesn’t care about the law. This is the SP’s identity forever. If the SP president knows how to jump so well, then he should go to the Asian Games and get more medals for India,” said Pathak.

Officials at the LDA said that the JPNIC has been shut since 2017 – the same year the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s office received a recommendation to order a “special audit” on costs incurred to build the JNIPC along with two other projects directly overseen by Akhilesh, who during his CM tenure headed the state Housing Department, which carried out these projects.

LDA vice-chairman Indramani Tripathi on Wednesday told The Indian Express that a proposal for granting more funds for the JPNIC is pending with the state government. “The proposal for more funds has been approved by the Economic Finance Committee. It is now with the state government,” said Tripathi.

“We have sought an additional Rs 91 crore for the JPNIC. If it gets approved by the state government, we will be able to make the centre operational. The proposal for more funds needs to be approved by the state Cabinet,” another LDA official said.

The JPNIC has a bunch of facilities like a museum dedicated to the socialist leader. It has facilities like a gym, spa, salon, a luxury hotel, four Olympic-sized swimming pools, multiple convention halls, and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,000 people and a helipad on the terrace of the building. It also has a multi-level car parking which has a capacity for over 500 cars.