EW news (Lucknow)
On the birth anniversary of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, National President of Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister, Akhilesh, rejecting the conspiracy of the BJP government to stop him from garlanding the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan installed at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Center (JP NIC) in Gomtinagar, Lucknow. Yadav had to cross the gate to pay homage to freedom fighter and leader of Sampoorna Kranti Jai Prakash Narayan ji.
Along with national and state presidents of frontal organizations of Samajwadi Party, municipal councilors, state officials, former and present MLAs, former MPs, district and metropolitan presidents also participated in the protest. Like every year, this year too, on the birth anniversary of JP ji, there was a program of garlanding his statue in the memorial built in his name by the Samajwadi government. Samajwadi Party had informed the administration in this regard. But at the behest of the BJP government, with the cancellation of permission to lay wreaths, JP NIC was locked and converted into a tin shed. Heavy police force was deployed near JP NIC Centre.
Thousands of Samajwadi Party leaders and workers reached the gate of JPNIC since morning to garland the statue of JP. Akhilesh Yadav reached JPNIC gate in Samajwadi Lok Jagran Abhiyan chariot for garlanding. Akhilesh Yadav also got down from the chariot and moved towards the gate, crossed the gate and went inside and garlanded the statue of folk hero Jayprakash Narayan and bowed to him. The sad thing was that the statue of Jayaprakash ji was covered with a black cloth and tied. Yadav removed it and garlanded it. The monument was damaged in places and was dark.
Talking to journalists on this occasion, Akhilesh Yadav said that Jaiprakash Narayan International Center was inaugurated by Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav in the Samajwadi government. Socialist people celebrate the birth anniversary of the hero of the total revolution, Jaiprakash Narayan ji. Like before, this time also we had come, but I don’t know why the government locked the gate along with the tin shed. Socialist people want the country to know about the struggle of Jaiprakash ji.
People gathered on this occasion said that it is undemocratic and unconstitutional for the BJP government to stop Chief Minister and leader of opposition party Akhilesh from garlanding the statue of Loknayak Jayaprakash ji at JP NIC today. This is also an insult to those BJP leaders themselves who went to jail for protesting against the Emergency under the leadership of JP Ji.
Akhilesh said that there is a need for change in the country. The public will have to fight unitedly against the BJP government. Democracy, socialism and the Constitution will survive only by the power of the people. BJP wants to change Baba Saheb’s constitution. Freedom is being taken away by suppressing the voice of the people. Jayaprakash Narayan ji had given the slogan of total revolution. At that time, inflation, corruption and unemployment were at their peak in the country. The public united on the call of Jaiprakash Narayan. Emergency imposed. A large number of leaders and people went to jail along with him. Many people remained in jail for many years. His message was that nothing can happen without total revolution. The people of BJP are creating obstacles in allowing us to remember such a great freedom fighter.
Yadav said that the BJP government destroyed the world-class monument built worth crores of rupees. Machines worth crores are getting damaged. What does the government want to hide behind the scenes? He said that the power of the people is the greatest in democracy. The power of the government will not survive in front of the power of the people. It is sad that the government prevented people from garlanding the statue of the great hero of democracy by deploying police. The BJP government is destroying the Constitution and democracy. This museum tells the story of the life and struggle of Jayaprakash Narayan. People will take inspiration from his life. The government is responsible for the losses incurred in JPNIC.
Akhilesh Yadav said that the officials want to hide the loss and waste caused in JPNIC. We went inside and saw that goods worth crores of rupees had been destroyed. He said that this fight that has started today will continue for a long time.
