Lucknow : Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the state government’s decision to hand over the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow to private operators.
In a social media post, Yadav alleged that the government was presenting a model in which public assets were handed over upfront in exchange for benefits allegedly equivalent to “gold bars.” He claimed that the alleged corruption under the BJP government would eventually be exposed.
“The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is presenting his model to the public: give JPNIC to anyone upfront, and in return, do not take a brick but a gold bar,” Yadav said.
The SP president alleged that the truth behind what he described as “gold-bar corruption” would one day come out, just as he claimed the alleged irregularities associated with the construction and donations related to the Ram temple would be exposed.
Yadav also accused the BJP of failing to respect the legacy of Jayaprakash Narayan, the socialist leader after whom the centre is named. Referring to the proposed handover of JPNIC, he said that if those allegedly involved in wrongdoing had not spared Lord Ram, they would not spare the legacy of the people’s leader Jayaprakash Narayan either.
He further alleged that the “gold bars” would eventually be recovered from secret vaults and that the BJP’s religious image would be exposed. Taking a further swipe at the government, Yadav said that even an expenditure of ₹70,000 crore, instead of ₹7,000 crore, would not be enough to restore the party’s image.
“Everyone’s number will come up,” he said.
JPNIC Controversy
The remarks came amid a controversy over the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to involve private firms in the completion, maintenance and operation of the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre. The centre, located in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar area, was conceived during the previous Samajwadi Party government and includes a museum, cultural facilities, sports infrastructure and parking arrangements.
The state government has maintained that the project remained incomplete despite significant expenditure and that private participation was necessary for its completion and long-term operation.
Yadav, however, has alleged that a valuable public asset was being handed over at an undervalued price. He has also said that the Samajwadi Party would be willing to pay one rupee more than the amount received by the government to bring the property back under public control.
The BJP government has yet to accept the allegations made by the SP president. The dispute has intensified the political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party over public assets, transparency, alleged corruption and the legacy of JPNIC.