Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav claimed Tuesday he was stopped at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in a bid to prevent him from visiting Allahabad to attend an oath-taking ceremony at Allahabad University.
“The government is afraid of oath ceremony of a student leader and is stopping me at the airport to prevent me from visiting Allahabad,” Yadav claimed. He also posted photographs in his official Twitter handle in which he was seen talking to police officers inside the airport.
When asked, Airport Director AK Sharma said, “I have no such information.” The matter rocked the Uttar Pradesh legislature.
As soon as Samajwadi Party members came to know about their national president being stopped at the airport, they tried to raise the matter during Question Hour in the Assembly.
“The present regime is trying to kill democracy and stop our leader from visiting Allahabad,” SP leader Narendra Verma said.
The members also trooped into the Well of the House due to which Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit adjourned the proceedings for 20 minutes during the Question Hour.
The matter was also raised in the Legislative Council, leading to the adjournment of the House for 25 minutes during the pre-lunch sitting.
Meanwhile BSP supremo Mayawati termed the incident as ‘extremely condemnable’ and asked whether the ruling BJP was afraid of their alliance because of which it is ‘resorting to anti-democratic methods’.
Mayawati described the incident as ‘an example of total dictatorship of BJP government’ in Uttar Pradesh. “This is very unfortunate and this undemocratic step will be fought at all levels,” she said. “Is the BJP government at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh so afraid of BSP-SP alliance that it is resorting to anti-democratic methods to curb our political activities,” asked Mayawati.
PTI