With the Uttar Pradesh cabinet approving the handover of the Jayaprakash Narayan International Convention (JPNIC) Centre to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has reiterated his allegation that the government wants to sell the project to private players.
A dream project of Yadav, JPNIC was conceived in 2012 under his chief ministership to honour socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan. The multi-crore project, featuring a museum, auditoriums, and recreational facilities, was partially inaugurated in 2016.
After the BJP assumed power in 2017, the ongoing work at the project was stalled and a probe ordered into alleged financial irregularities in the construction work.
The issue of JPNIC snowballed on Jayaprakash Narayan’s birth anniversary celebrations in subsequent years. In 2023 and 2024, Akhilesh was denied entry to the premises to garland Narayan’s statue as Lucknow Development Authority cited security concerns. In 2023, he scaled the centre’s main gate to pay tribute, while in 2024, tin sheets and police barricades blocked access, prompting protests from SP workers.
The SP chief has often accused the BJP of disrespecting freedom fighters and conspiring to privatise JPNIC. He even appealed to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, a JP movement veteran, to withdraw support from the BJP-led NDA.
{{/usCountry}}The SP chief has often accused the BJP of disrespecting freedom fighters and conspiring to privatise JPNIC. He even appealed to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, a JP movement veteran, to withdraw support from the BJP-led NDA.
{{/usCountry}}Yadav, who was in Azamgarh on Thursday to inaugurate a party office there, said, “The government must have given it (JPNIC) to LDA so that it doesn’t become easy for Samajwadi Party to take it. Now by handing it over to LDA, it can be easily sold.”
“The best market space created in Lucknow was sold as soon as the BJP government was formed. The Pallasio Mall was built by LDA. Similarly there were other projects also by other departments, which were sold by the BJP government. I think after being handed over to LDA, the road to selling JPNIC will become a lot easier,” Yadav said to journalists in Azamgarh.
On the other hand, deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said, “The way Akhilesh Yadav is creating a ruckus over JPNIC, his government’s tenure from 2012-2017 is known not for work but for deeds. The project, which was only worth ₹265 crores was increased to ₹864 crore. Even after spending ₹821 crore, the work was not completed. I want to thank chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the cabinet that they saved the public’s money by merging it in LDA (Lucknow Development Authority), dissolved the JPNIC Society and gave it to LDA. No money of the government will be spent on this. We will give it to a third party through a tender.”