Akhilesh denied nod to visit Prayagraj, hits out at Yogi govt
SP chief was going to attend AU event, supporters go on a rampage. Action to prevent chaos: CM
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was on Tuesday stopped by the Yogi Adityanath government from proceeding to Prayagraj at the Charan Singh airport here, sparking protests by SP workers at a few places in the state.
Badaun MP Dharmendra Yadav was among those injured in police lathicharge at Prayagraj.
Akhilesh later lashed out at the Yogi Adityanath government saying the Yogi government believed in “roko, thoko neeti” (policy of stopping and encounters). Akhilesh was scheduled to attend an event of the Allahabad University students’ union . Samajwadi Party backed candidate Uday Yadav holds the post of AU students’ union president.
Refuting allegations, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said Akhilesh’s visit would have caused chaos in Prayagraj and the SP should refrain from negative activities. Adityanath said the decision to not allow Yadav to attend the event was taken by the university authorities.
Principal secretary (home) Arvind Kumar said, “Anticipating law and order problem at the Allahabad University due to animosity between rival student groups, the university adminis-
tration had denied permission for any political programme on the campus and intimated them accordingly. The administration in Prayagraj informed the chief minister’s office and Lucknow’s district magistrate about it.
“I was prevented from boarding the airplane without any written orders. Currently detained at Lucknow airport,” Akhilesh tweeted on Tuesday morning.
Yadav said he had informed the Yogi government in December about his visit to Allahabad University. “We sent the first programme on December 27. A detailed programme was sent on February 2 so that the administration could make necessary arrangements in view of Kumbh,” Yadav said at a press conference in Lucknow.
“This government is scared of students,” he said adding, “I was also invited by a seer at Kumbh over lunch but this government led by a ‘yogi’ has a problem with that also.” Akhilesh alleged that the union government was involved in his detention.
“The state police could not have stopped me there. Airports are under central security. I think union government was behind the action at the airport,” he claimed.
Akhilesh also alleged that the local intelligence unit (LIU) and the state police did a recce of his house on Monday night.
“Since 6.30 am, three policemen were deployed at my house. They did not have any document but stopped me at the airport,” he said.
Akhilesh also posted a series of photographs from the Lucknow airport showing an official standing at the stairs of the aircraft apparently blocking his path. In another photograph, Akhilesh was seen surrounded by people, including policemen.
Officials from the police and administration were already present when Akhilesh reached the airport to board the plane for Prayagraj. The moment Akhilesh stepped out the car, the officials made a ring around him. “Do not touch me. Keep your hands off me,” he was heard saying.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath rubbished Akhilesh’s allegations and said the SP president was indulging in negative activities. “Samajwadi Party should do away with its negative activities. At Prayagraj, Kumbh Mela is going on and Akhilesh’s visit could have created chaos there. Therefore, his visit was cancelled. The party is known for creating ruckus. Barely 10 days back, Akhilesh had visited Kumbh and taken bath at Sangam. On Tuesday, he was detained to ensure that the situation remains peaceful as Kumbh is on in Prayagraj,” Yogi said.
Hitting back at the CM, Akhilesh said, “Yogi said I am going there (Prayagraj) to spread anarchy. Is there any case against me? Look at him, he is perhaps the only chief minister in the country against whom cases are going on.” Showing the Election Commission’s documents to media persons by turning them into placards to prove his point, Akhilesh said: “People engaged in violent acts have become CM today. He has been teaching violence to the people. When SP supported candidate won an election at the Allahabad University, his government’s supporters engaged in arson. No action was taken against them.”
Besides Prayagraj, protests broke out in Jaunpur, Jhansi, Kannauj, Balrampur, Jalaun, Azamgarh and Gorakhpur, among other places, where SP supporters smashed windscreens of vehicles and clashed with the police. Roads were blocked in Gorakhpur.
Agitated SP legislators also sat on dharna outside Raj Bhawan in Lucknow against the “undemocratic behaviour” of the BJP government after staging a noisy protest in the UP legislature. Coming out in support of Akhilesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati tweeted: “Is the BJP government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh so afraid of the BSP-SP alliance that it is resorting to anti-democratic methods in order to curb our political activities”.