By IANS,
Lucknow : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) took to the streets here Tuesday to protest against renaming a park commemorating its idealogue and founder Kanshi Ram after late Samajwadi Party leader Janeshwar Mishra.
Leading the sit-in in front of the park in Vyom Khand area of Gomtinagar, BSP general secretary and Leader of Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya said that they would not tolerate the “games” the Samajwadi Party government was playing with the names of Dalit icons.
Contending that the 376-acre park was conceived by the previous Mayawati government, which had decided to name the park after Kanshi Ram, Maurya said the decision of the Akhilesh Yadav government had reduced the honour given to Dalit leaders to a mockery.
BSP leader and former PWD minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui said the government’s decision would be opposed tooth and nail and demanded that the renaming be revoked.
The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) Monday evening had hung a board outside the park naming it Janeshwar Mishra Park and had Tuesday begun construction there.
As soon as the news reached the BSP cadres and supporters, they arrived in strength at the park and Maurya and Siddiqui staged a sit-in outside.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party said that the BSP had run out of issues and was therefore highlighting “bogus” issues.
Party spokesman Rajendra Chowdhary said that the decision to change the name of the park was taken during the budget session of the assembly and hence it was not a point to be raised now.