SHAHJAHANPUR, May 26: Leaders and workers of the Samajwadi Party staged a protest in Shahjahanpur on Tuesday against the alleged display of objectionable posters targeting party national president Akhilesh Yadav and demanded strict legal action against those responsible.

The protest, led by district president and former chairman Tanveer Khan, began from GIC Ground at Khirni Bagh and culminated at the district collectorate. Party workers raised slogans against the BJP government and later submitted a memorandum addressed to the District Magistrate through City Magistrate Rajnikant Pandey.

In the memorandum, party leaders expressed strong resentment over the posters and demanded registration of an FIR against those involved, along with stringent legal action.

Addressing party workers, Tanveer Khan alleged that the objectionable posters had been put up by individuals associated with the ruling party to tarnish the image of the Samajwadi Party and disturb the political atmosphere.

He described the campaign as “false and misleading propaganda” and asserted that the party would not tolerate such attempts.

Referring to the Women’s Reservation Bill, Khan said Akhilesh Yadav had supported the legislation in Parliament in 2023, making attempts to portray the Samajwadi Party as opposed to women’s reservation “completely baseless and misleading.”

Accusing the BJP of resorting to false propaganda for political gains, he alleged that the ruling party was attempting to malign the SP’s image through misinformation.

SP Chhatra Sabha district president Prasoon Kumar Kanojia warned that if such incidents were repeated, the party would launch a citywide poster campaign to expose what he termed the BJP government’s “black deeds.”

Among those present at the protest were State Secretary Vijay Singh, Ramsurat Yadav, Nagar Assembly president Atiullah Siddiqui, district vice-president Sanjeev Kumar Verma, Omkar Singh, Minority Sabha State Secretary Parvez Ansari, Yuvjan Sabha State Secretary Parth Yadav, Lohia Vahini metropolitan president Ashwani Baghela, OBC Cell State Secretary Monu Qureshi, along with a large number of party workers.