Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 5 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday slammed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his remarks on the Jayaprakash Narayan Interpretation Centre (JPNIC).

Pathak accused Akhilesh of turning JPNIC into a hub of corruption during his government, saying that the latter had no right to speak about the socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan.

He added that the current government has handed JPNIC back to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to complete the project properly and dedicate it to the public.

Speaking to ANI, Brajesh Pathak said, '...As far as JPNIC (Jayaprakash Narayan Interpretation Centre) is concerned, Akhilesh Yadav has no right to speak about JPNIC. Jai Prakash Narayan ji was a strong speaker of the socialist movement...Today, you are sitting in the lap of the Congress party. The people who pushed the country into an emergency are being hailed from your platforms. You should not talk about the socialist movement. The socialist movement is not safe in your hands. You are a supporter of the capitalist system, and you have always promoted such elements who always indulge in hooliganism and anarchy. You had made JPNIC a den of corruption. Our government has done the work of dedicating the public money to the public by handing over JPNIC to LDA again. It will be completed soon and dedicated to the public...'

Pathak continued his attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying that the people of the state are fully aware of the party's actions.

He accused the Samajwadi Party government of promoting crime, corruption, and nepotism and claimed that the public rejected them in the 2017 and 2022 elections because of these issues.

'...The people of Uttar Pradesh are well aware of the words and deeds of the Samajwadi Party. When Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the Samajwadi Party, was in power from 2012-17, he brought crime, corruption, and nepotism to the forefront and embraced them...Today, we can say that the public has punished the Samajwadi Party for the misdeeds it committed by defeating it in 2017 and 2022. Their dream will not be fulfilled even in 2027. The people of the Samajwadi Party used to encroach on forest land,' Pathak said.

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav strongly criticised the decision to hand over the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), calling it an insult to the legacy of the socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan.

Akhilesh expressed deep disappointment over the decision and recalled his connection to the centre. 'We and Chaudhary Sahab are particularly sad because we were founder members of JPNIC Society,' he said.

'When Netaji laid the foundation stone of JPNIC, many socialist leaders were present. JPNIC was built so that this generation could see the struggle for democracy. People had to see the change that came with the slogan of total revolution,' Akhilesh further added.

Furthermore, criticising the transfer of the building to the LDA, the Samajwadi Party Chief said, 'This building was given to LDA, what work does LDA have, LDA does not build buildings but fish markets.'

Reiterating his party's commitment to protecting the institution, Akhilesh added, 'And I say once again from the stage that if they have to be sold, we socialist people will buy JPNIC.' (ANI)