The Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow - which contains a museum dedicated to the memory of the iconic socialist leader and politician - is at the heart of a fresh political row between Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Entrances were barricaded by tin sheets Thursday night - prompting the SP to launch a fierce attack on the BJP - and those barricades were reinforced Friday morning by scores of cops. This was a day before Mr Yadav's plans to garland a JP Narayan statue - inside the JPNIC - on his birth anniversary.
Mr Yadav this morning also shared videos of police barriers outside his home.
"Whether it is the BJP people or their government, their every action is a symbol of negativity. To prevent the Samajwadi people from garlanding the statue of Jayaprakash Narayanji on his birth anniversary, like the last time, barricades have been put up around (my) private residence..."
BJP Responds
The response was sharp. The BJP's UP unit spokesperson, Alok Awasthi, insisted the party "respects and honours all the great men", and hailed Jayaprakash Narayan as a "symbol of simplicity".
"Mr Akhilesh Yadav, do you have even one quality of Jai Prakash Narayan? You enjoy a luxurious life. During your reign, anarchy, hooliganism, misgovernance, rioters and corrupt people prevailed."
"Your conduct has been contrary to the thoughts of Jayaprakashji and Lohiaji."
Akhilesh Yadav's Home Tribute
Unable to visit the statue at the JNPIC, Mr Yadav garlanded a bust mounted on a vehicle at his residence. Photographs were shared with the message "Socialists are not afraid of dictatorship!"
Mr Yadav also appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose Janata Dal United is a BJP ally and whose 12 MPs play a crucial role in ensuring a parliamentary majority for the union government.
Akhilesh Yadav called on Nitish Kumar - who was an active member of JP Narayan's movement in the 1970s - to snap ties with the BJP over the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre incident.
JP Narayan Birth Anniversary Row
The row erupted late last night after Mr Yadav - refused permission to visit the JPNIC due to "construction work and possibility of many insects due to rain" - ripped into the BJP with the wall of tin sheets at his back.
"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," he replied, "... but can his (JP Narayan's) ideology be stopped?"
Last year Mr Yadav - not given permission to visit the site - refused to back down.
The ex-UP Chief Minister jumped over a wall to garland the statue.
"This is not the first time," he raged to reporters last night, "Every year on this day socialists used to gather here. They garlanded the statue and expressed their views. This great leader, who gave the slogan of total revolution, did not bow down before the government of the time."
Tin sheets erected outside the JPNIC in Lucknow.
The JPNIC was inaugurated by Mr Yadav in 2016, when he was Chief Minister.
Construction, though, was paused after the BJP swept to power in the 2017 election. Mr Yadav alleged last night this was a deliberate move and that there are plans to sell off the structure.
"But the programme (to garland the statue) will continue," he vowed.
Lucknow Authority Explains
Maintenance of the JPNIC is the responsibility of the Lucknow Development Authority.
The LDA had refused Mr Yadav permission to visit the JPNIC - following a written request on Tuesday from his office to the state body - claiming safety concerns over ongoing construction work and the possibility of insects after heavy rain. Lucknow Police also denied permission.
Rather bizarrely, the LDA's letter Thursday also noted Mr Yadav has Z+ category security (only Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a more secure net around him) and this made it "not safe and appropriate for him to garland the statue and visit JPNIC... due to security reasons".
As a prelude, earlier Thursday Mr Yadav's party shared a video on X showing workers placing the tin sheets, and slammed a "useless BJP government... continuously attacking democracy!"
"This shows the dirty politics of the BJP. This anti-people government has insulted great men by ruining development work like JPNIC built in Lucknow. Socialists will not bow down..."
With input from agencies
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