Akhilesh calls for citizens’ movement against UP govt’s ‘plans to commercialise’ Janeshwar Mishra Park

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday sharply criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s reported move to commercialise Lucknow’s Janeshwar Mishra Park, considered Asia’s largest urban park, by opening it up for large-scale private weddings and events, starting January 2026.

His criticism came in response to a promotional poster for a proposed venue titled ‘Janeshwar Greens’, which advertises massive event lawns, extensive guest capacity and dedicated parking facilities within the park’s premises.

According to the poster, the proposed commercial zone would include event lawns spread over nearly 3 lakh sq ft, with a capacity to host up to 10,000 guests and accommodate 3,000 cars.

Yadav argued that such extensive commercial activity would fundamentally alter the park’s green character, replacing public open space with post-event litter, noise, garbage and pollution. He described the project as an attempt to convert a vital ecological asset into a private revenue-generating property.

The SP leader, who inaugurated Janeshwar Mishra Park in 2014 during his tenure as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, warned that the move was only the beginning of what he called the BJP government’s greed-driven encroachment on public spaces.

He said that if this commercialisation went unchecked, it could set a precedent allowing similar takeovers of neighbourhood parks across Lucknow and the state.

In a strongly worded X post addressed to residents of Uttar Pradesh, Yadav appealed for a collective and non-political resistance to protect the city’s green lungs.

His post read: “Dear Lucknow residents and UP migrants, Beware! The BJP government should keep Lucknow’s ‘Green-Heart’ Janeshwar Mishra Park away from its investments out of greed for money. The citizens of Lucknow have full right to clean air and greenery. We all should come together to oppose this like a citizens’ movement strongly; if we do this alone, the BJP government will declare it a political movement and twist things in its favour.”

He continued, urging widespread participation: “Therefore, we appeal to every Lucknow resident, every environmental lover-activist, every elderly person who makes good use of parks, every family member, and every health and fitness-conscious young man and young woman to step forward and save Lucknow’s greenery.”

Yadav also issued a warning of what he believes may follow: “In fact, this is just the beginning of the greed of the BJP and their associates; today one park is falling victim to it, tomorrow BJP contractors will take over every neighbourhood-colony park in Lucknow and UP. Locals will get nothing but the stench of garbage, filth, and leftovers accumulated after these events. If we don’t wake up in time, breathing for Lucknow residents will become difficult.”

“Warning: BJP should not turn the park into parking! If BJP goes, we can breathe!” he added.

The Uttar Pradesh government’s response to Yadav’s claims was awaited.

IANS