Stopped at Lucknow Airport to Prevent Me from Attending Allahabad Varsity Event: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was allegedly manhandled and stopped at Lucknow airport on Tuesday from boarding a flight to Prayagraj where he was supposed to attend the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected office-bearers of Allahabad University Students’ Union.

A video has emerged in which it can be seen Yadav is being stopped from boarding the aircraft by some officials. “I was prevented from boarding the airplane without any written orders. Currently detained at Lucknow Airport. It is clear how frightened the govt is by oath ceremony of a student leader. The BJP knows that youth of the country will not tolerate this injustice anymore,” the SP chief wrote on Twitter.

Sources said, the registrar of Allahabad University had earlier written to Yadav’s personal secretary and informed him about not allowing political leaders to participate in the event. 

Meanwhile, SP leaders started protesting in both the houses of the assembly after the incident. 

Speaking to News18, SP MLC Udayveer Yadav said, “The district administration was informed well in advance about the programme and there was no cancellation of the event or any kind of prior notice. The government is scared of Akhilesh Yadav’s appeal among the youth. It shows how frustrated the chief minister and Prime Minister are. The BJP’s countdown has begun.”

Congress MLC Deepak Singh also slammed the Yogi Adityanath government over the incident.  Singh told News18, “The central government is scared the opposition parties might expose their corruption in front of the public. Now they are taking support of police and misusing the CBI and ED. This dictatorship will not last too long.”