Bracketed among the pet projects of the former Samajwadi Party (SP) government, the Jayaprakash Narayan Interpretation Centre (JPNIC), a museum dedicated to the iconic socialist leader and freedom fighter on the banks of river Gomti in Lucknow, is a shambles. Built at a staggering cost of over Rs 800 crore, this unfinished structure has been abandoned for more than seven years, with weeds overtaking its expensive tiles and world-class amenities, making it a safe haven for drug addicts.

The JPNIC came in the news as SP leaders clashed with the UP Police because they were stopped on their way to JPNIC to garland the statue on Narayan’s birth anniversary on Thursday. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav called police action “the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) attempt to attack democracy” and do “dirty politics”. The BJP called the SP’s protest “childish”.

SP’S PET PROJECT

Entangled in political turmoil, the JPNIC, once envisioned as a world-class facility, stands in neglect. The JPNIC was meant to be a state-of-the-art cultural and convention hub in Lucknow.

The construction began in 2012 under the SP government, and by 2017, Rs 860 crore had been spent, completing around 80% of the project.

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Real estate giant Shalimar built the 17-floor structure spanning across 18.6 acres, which boasts of facilities such as a museum dedicated to Narayan, a luxury hotel with 107 rooms, a gym, spa, salon, restaurants, a 2,000-seat convention hall, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a seven-floor car park for 591 vehicles, a museum dedicated to Narayan’s life and ideologies, a badminton court, lawn tennis facilities and even a helipad on the top floor.

The project came to a standstill in 2017 when the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction. The halt in work left the building unfinished, with its completion and inauguration still pending after seven years.

“This centre was supposed to honour Narayan and his socialist ideals, but it has become a casualty of political rivalry,” said a local resident. Another remarked, “People’s money has gone to waste. It’s heartbreaking to see bushes growing between expensive tiles and drug addicts gathering here at night.”

The SP has repeatedly alleged that the BJP government is deliberately neglecting the centre, with claims that the Yogi government plans to sell it to a private company. “The BJP doesn’t want people to understand socialism, which is why they are keeping this centre in ruins,” an SP spokesperson said.

THE BEGINNING

Political row over the JPNIC picked up on Thursday late evening when the SP chief launched a fierce attack on the ruling BJP for barricading the entrance ahead of their plan to garland the statue.

“JPNIC is the museum of socialists and has the statue of Narayan. There are things inside on how we can understand socialism,” said Yadav, who visited the JPNIC on the eve of Jayaprakash Jayanti after learning about the barricading.

Yadav alleged that the BJP government in UP had installed tin sheets in front of the main gate of JPNIC to prevent his entry. “What is the government hiding by erecting these tin sheds? Is it possible that they are getting ready to sell it, or want to give it to someone,” Yadav asked.

In a video shared online, Yadav asked a painter to write ‘Samajwadi Party Zindabad’ (Long live Samajwadi Party) on the tin sheets. The party also posted a clip showing workers erecting tin sheets at the JPNIC gate. “The BJP government is constantly attacking democracy. This anti-people government has insulted great men by ruining development work like JPNIC built in Lucknow. Socialists will not bow down to these dictators,” the party stated on X.

The SP chief also announced that he would pay tribute to the statue of the great socialists at the centre. “We will decide on the programme tomorrow (on Friday). For how long will they keep it barred behind tin sheds,” he had stated.

CHAOTIC FRIDAY

On Friday, Uttar Pradesh woke up to commotion as barricades were erected around the SP office and the residence of its chief Yadav on Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. Heavy police presence was seen at both locations to prevent Yadav from visiting the JPNIC, as he had promised on Thursday.

The situation escalated when SP activists marched towards JPNIC in the morning, with some climbing over the barricades outside Yadav’s residence. However, tensions eased after the SP chief garlanded Narayan’s statue at his home.

AN APPEAL TO NITISH KUMAR

“Many socialists in the government are helping it continue its rule. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar emerged from Narayan’s movement. This is a chance for Kumar to withdraw support from a government that is not allowing a socialist to pay tribute to Narayan on his birth anniversary,” said Yadav.

WHEN FORMER CM HAD TO CLIMB THE 8-FT-HIGH WALL

However, this was not the first time when the SP chief was stopped from garlanding the statue of Narayan. Last year, too, a high-voltage drama was staged when SP chief was prevented from garlanding the statue. As the gates remained shut, he climbed an eight-feet-high wall to gain access to the statue of the freedom fighter along with other SP leaders and workers amid chaos and sloganeering. Police tried to stop SP workers and leaders from entering the premises and also used mild force to disperse the crowd.

BJP’s COUNTER

UP minister Suresh Khanna took a jibe at the SP. “Samajwadi Party is a transformer that is not working. People will not like it. The BJP is a good transformer. People are with us.”

BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla also criticised Yadav. “Yadav should answer why SP leaders are only active in the dark of night. His action is childish.”