3 held in Lucknow for billboards deriding Modi, pitching Yogi as PM

LUCKNOW: A Right wing fringe outfit has been booked in Lucknow on Wednesday after it erected a dozen billboards in the heart of city deriding Prime Minister Narendra Modi but promoting UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath over a probability of making it to the top office in future. Late on Tuesday, the police arrested three persons, including those who designed and printed the billboards.
"Jumlebazi ka naam Modi, Hindutva ka brand Yogi," read one of the bilboards put up by Uttar Pradesh Nav Nirman Sena.
The UP Police have booked the outfit under Sections of damage to public property and attempt to stir mischief among public. "Those arrested include Sumit Pasi from Unnao, Ikramuddin from Bahraich and Manish Agrawal from Lucknow. The computer which was used to print these billboards has been seized. One of them is still absconding in NCR," said a top Lucknow Police official
The outfit chief also released a video, which went viral, blaming the prime minister for the BJP's losses in five states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Mizoram.
In the UP BJP office, however, the video has been taken seriously, saying the debate was a conscious attempt to create a divide in BJP leadership.
"The losses in election were expected for a long time and the Prime minister must be blamed for that. Yogi should run for the Prime minister office, otherwise defeat for BJP is certain," says Amit Janti, President, UP Navnirman Sena in the video, sporting a sleeveless saffron jacket while seeking a Dharm Sansad, an event to drum up support in Yogi's favour, on February 10, 2019. The billboards have listed nine "achievements" of Yogi which include building a safe environment with a Hindutva movement, renaming Faizabad district as Ayodhya on Diwali eve and Allahabad as Prayagraj, reining in criminals and those involved in cattle trade and removing prohibitive measures as DJ music at pitstops held by kanwariyas (Shiv followers) headed for pilgrimage. The same billboards took a swipe at the prime minister for enacting GST, denotfication and withdrawal of cases against Kashmiri stone pelters.
The FIR was registered on a complaint from Lucknow Municipal Corporation.
The outfit has said that nearly 50-60 seats won in three-BJP ruled states due to Yogi's back-to-back campaigns.
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