Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief, on the 12th of February, was detained at the Lucknow Airport and prevented from boarding a flight.
Akhilesh Yadav was scheduled to attend an oath taking ceremony of the Allahabad University Student’s Union in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Mr. Yadav took to Twitter and posted pictures and a video which showed the police manhandling him, in an attempt to stop him from boarding the flight. In the video, Yadav could be seen shouting at and arguing with the police.
My statement on the negative and undemocratic politics behind my detention at Lucknow Airport. pic.twitter.com/dP7MvdjOcT
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 12, 2019
The oath taking ceremony was organised by the Samajwadi Party Chatra Sabha, the student wing of the SP.
Akhilesh Yadav said, “The Government is afraid of oath taking ceremony of a student leader and is stopping me at the airport to prevent me from visiting Allahabad.”
The Prayagraj Police informed, the Allahabad University did not allow any politician to attend the ceremony as they feared law and order issues.
The University authorities also wrote a letter to the personal secretary of Akhilesh Yadav regarding the same.
The SP members and Ram Gopal Yadav, the uncle of Akhilesh Yadav, blamed Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, for not granting permission to Akhilesh Yadav to enter the University.
Ram Gopal Yadav said, “I directly blame the chief minister. Akhilesh (Yadav) had the permission. It was at the directions of the chief minister that he was stopped. They didn’t even let him reach Allahabad.”
The news became the topic of discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The SP members who were present in the Rajya Sabha raised the point and initiated the discussion. Narendra Verma, the SP leader, said, “The present regime is trying to kill democracy and stop our leader from visiting Allahabad.”
However, Yogi Adityanath denied the allegations and said, the Allahabad University did not want Akhilesh Yadav to visit in order to avoid problems related to law and order, due to which the Government took the step. Adityanath further added, the Lucknow police were also fulfilling their responsibility and following the orders of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Uttar Pradesh is all set to contest 80 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, scheduled between April and May 2019. The major parties contesting in Uttar Pradesh are the grand alliance of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the SP, the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP.)
Stay tuned for further updates about the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha elections.
