UP: SP-BSP delegation meets Governor Ram Naik after Akhilesh Yadav 'stopped' at airport

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yadav said he was stopped by authorities at the Lucknow airport in a bid to prevent him from visiting Allahabad, triggering outrage by party lawmakers in the state legislature and workers outside the airport.

Lucknow: After rift between Samajwadi Party workers and police in several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday as the state government clipped the wings of their president Akhilesh Yadav, preventing him from flying to Allahabad on the grounds of law and order, UP’s Governor Ram Naik today meeting with delegation of 15 member Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party members over the issue. The 15-member joint delegation of SP-BSP submitted a memorandum to Governor Ram Naik over the matter of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yadav said he was stopped by authorities at the Lucknow airport in a bid to prevent him from visiting Allahabad, triggering outrage by party lawmakers in the state legislature and workers outside the airport. On Twitter, Akhilesh said "The government is so afraid of oath ceremony of a student leader that it is stopping me at the airport to prevent me from visiting Allahabad,". He tweeted photographs in which he was seen talking to police officers inside the airport.

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 the oath ceremony of a student leader. The BJP knows that youth of our great country will not tolerate this injustice anymore! pic.twitter.com/xtnpNWtQRd — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 12, 2019

He interacted with media at the party office on Vikramaditya Marg after failing to board a chartered flight, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the ruling BJP had deliberately precipitated the crisis out of fear that he would further expose the state and the Central governments. The issue rocked the Rajya Sabha as SP and other opposition parties protested over the incident, disrupting the proceedings of the House. The matter also caused an uproar in both Houses of the Uttar Pradesh legislature. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters that Yadav's visit could have triggered violence between rival student groups at the university. "The Allahabad University had urged the government to stop his visit and the government acted," he said. Extending support to Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati said the incident was extremely condemnable and asked whether the ruling BJP was afraid of their alliance because of which it is "resorting to anti-democratic methods".