Akhilesh Yadav Criticizes BJP's Block on Jai Prakash Narayan Tribute

Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of restricting tributes to Jai Prakash Narayan on his birth anniversary. He urged Bihar's Chief Minister to withdraw support from the central government. Yadav alleges that the BJP aims to sell the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre and ignores the Constitution.

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav has called out the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly preventing admirers of the late Jai Prakash Narayan from paying their respects on his birth anniversary. Yadav strongly encouraged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to consider pulling his party's support from the BJP-led central government over this issue.

The controversy arose after Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) denied permission for Yadav to visit the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC), citing it as an active construction site with hazardous materials. Yadav accused the BJP of trying to privatize the centre, noting that despite government blockage, he managed to lay flowers at a statue of Narayan outside the centre.

In his critique, Yadav claimed the BJP poses a threat to India's constitutional values and highlighted the irony of the prohibition on Navratri, a significant Hindu festival. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused Yadav of politicizing the incident and straying from Narayan's ideals, suggesting that Yadav could have paid tribute in his own office.

(With inputs from agencies.)