Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Friday, lambasted the Uttar Pradesh government for blocking the main gate of Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) at Gomati Nagar in state capital, preventing his scheduled visit on the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter, socialist stalwart and anti-Emergency leader.

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of adopting tactics of the colonial powers.

Unable to visit the JPNIC, Akhilesh Yadav garlanded a bust of JP Narayan mounted on a vehicle at his residence instead. He also appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a BJP ally whose party, the Janata Dal (United), is a partner of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance.  Akhilesh Yadav called on Kumar, who was an active member of JP Narayan’s movement in the 1970s, to snap ties with the BJP over the JPNIC incident.

The controversy erupted late Thursday when Yadav was denied permission to visit the JPNIC, citing “construction work and possibility of many insects due to rain”. Yadav lashed out at the BJP while standing in front of the tin barricades.

“What does the government want to hide by blocking the gate with tin sheets? A museum was built here... we want to pay tribute to a great man... a socialist thinker. Why is the government doing this? This government is scared, but can his (JP Narayan’s) ideology be suppressed?” SP chief said.

Akhilesh Yadav, had inaugurated the JPNIC in 2016 during his tenure as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, but its construction was stalled after the BJP’s victory in 2017. The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is currently responsible for its maintenance.

JPNIC was sealed off and barricaded, and police were deployed ahead of Yadav’s visit. Tin sheets were placed at the main entrance. A heavy force was also deployed on Vikramaditya Marg, near the residence of the SP chief in Lucknow.  Last year also, Akhilesh Yadav was denied permission to visit the site. However, he scaled the gate to garland the anti-Emergency hero.

The LDA denied Akhilesh Yadav permission to visit the JPNIC on Friday for the freedom fighter’s birth anniversary. In a letter dated October 10, the LDA said that JPNIC was an active construction site with scattered materials that could be hazardous. It also said that there was a concern about insect infestation due to rain. “JPNIC is a construction site where construction material is spread haphazardly, and there is a possibility of many insects due to rain,” the LDA said.

The letter also added that Akhilesh Yadav has Z-plus category security, making it unsafe for him to garland the statue and visit the site.

BJP spokesperson Alok Awasthi accused Akhilesh Yadav of politicising the issue, adding that the SP has strayed from the ideals of Jayaprakash Narayan.

“Akhilesh Yadav is doing politics. The notice that has been issued makes it very clear that the construction is incomplete. Had Akhilesh Yadav had good intentions, he could have paid tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan even in his office. Today, SP has forgotten the ideals of Jayaprakash Narayan. Had they followed those ideals, they would not have allied with the Congress party,” he said. 

He said that after facing defeat in the Haryana elections, the parties of the INDIA bloc were resorting to a political stunt.