Former%20Uttar%20Pradesh%20chief%20minister%20and%20Samajwadi%20Party%20president%20Akhilesh%20Yadav%20took%20everyone%20by%20surprise%20on%20Monday%20when%20he%20decided%20to%20come%20out%20of%20his%20cocoon%20and%20stage%20a%20protest%20in%20support%20of%20farmers%20who%20gave%20a%20call%20for%20a%20%27Bharat%20bandh%27%20in%20pursuance%20of%20their%20demand%20for%20scrapping%20of%20new%20farm%20laws%20being%20imposed%20by%20the%20Narendra%20Modi%20government%20across%20India.

Even%20though%20he%20was%20not%20allowed%20to%20accomplish%20his%20plan%20of%20driving%20down%20to%20Kannauj%20to%20lead%20a%20farmers%u2019%20march%2C%20he%20made%20his%20presence%20felt%20by%20jostling%20with%20cops%20outside%20his%20residence%20and%20raising%20anti-government%20slogans%20until%20the%20police%20took%20him%20into%20custody%20barely%20200%20metres%20away.%20He%20was%20accompanied%20by%20hundreds%20of%20his%20party%20activists%2C%20who%20were%20kept%20under%20detention%20along%20with%20him%2C%20before%20being%20set%20free.

%26nbsp%3BSignificantly%2C%20this%20was%20the%20first%20time%20in%20many%20months%20that%20Akhilesh%20chose%20to%20stage%20a%20street%20protest.%20Ever%20since%20the%20pandemic%20broke%20out%2C%20he%20has%20been%20largely%20confined%20to%20his%20residence%20and%20party%20office%20where%20he%20would%20meet%20members%20of%20his%20party.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%3A%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/for-the-first-time-in-28-years-since-babri-mosque-demolition-ayodhya-remained-uneventful%22%3E%3Cstrong%3E%20For%20the%20first%20time%20in%2028%20years%2C%20since%20Babri%20Mosque%20demolition%2C%20Ayodhya%20remained%20uneventful%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

His%20tweets%20and%20press%20statements%20were%20also%20issued%20against%20various%20policies%20of%20the%20BJP%20government%20but%20had%20kept%20himself%20away%20from%20field%20visits%20or%20demonstrations.

On%20Monday%2C%20while%20cops%20were%20disallowing%20him%20from%20stepping%20out%20of%20his%20residence%2C%20where%20a%20heavy%20police%20contingent%20was%20in%20place%20from%20early%20morning%2C%20Akhilesh%20forced%20his%20way%20out%20along%20with%20a%20big%20band%20of%20his%20party%20men.%20They%20were%20however%20not%20allowed%20to%20move%20beyond%20200%20metres%20from%20the%20house%20where%20he%20staged%20a%20%u2018dharna%u2019%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20road.%26nbsp%3B

Shortly%20thereafter%2C%20he%20was%20huddled%20into%20a%20police%20vehicle%20together%20with%20his%20supporters%20and%20taken%20to%20the%20local%20police%20lines.%20They%20were%20released%20after%20about%20two%20hours.

Surrounded%20by%20the%20police%2C%20the%20SP%20chief%20told%20media%20persons%2C%20%22the%20BJP%20government%20is%20trying%20to%20mislead%20everyone%20by%20claiming%20that%20the%20new%20farm%20laws%20are%20in%20the%20interest%20of%20farmers%3B%20if%20that%20was%20true%20then%20why%20should%20farmers%20be%20on%20warpath%20all%20over%20the%20country%3F%20If%20the%20new%20laws%20are%20not%20acceptable%20to%20the%20farmers%2C%20then%20the%20government%20must%26nbsp%3Bwithdraw%20such%20laws%20and%26nbsp%3Bbring%20new%20reforms%20that%20will%20benefit%20the%20farmers.%u201D%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%3A%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/uttar-pradesh-government-launches-massive-exercise-for-covid-19-vaccine-storage%22%3E%3Cstrong%3E%20Uttar%20Pradesh%20government%20launches%20massive%20exercise%20for%20COVID-19%20vaccine%20storage%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Akhilesh%u2019s%20active%20participation%20in%20today%u2019s%20protest%20has%20come%20as%20a%20big%20boost%20to%20his%20party%20rank%20and%20file.%20Party%20men%2C%20who%20used%20to%20look%20quite%20crestfallen%20with%20their%20leader%20lying%20low%20and%20shunning%20grassroots%20politics%2C%20suddenly%20appeared%20all%20charged%20up%20and%20set%20to%20play%20their%20role%20as%20the%20key%20opposition%20party.

What%20had%20left%20many%20disillusioned%20was%20the%20fact%20that%20their%20young%20party%20chief%20was%20avoiding%20any%20confrontation%20with%20the%20ruling%20dispensation%20%u2013%20quite%20unlike%20his%20father%20and%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BSP%20Mulayam%20Singh%20Yadav%2C%20who%20was%20always%20known%20for%20his%20street%20-%20fight%20instincts%20and%20daring%20skills.

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23AkhileshYadav%22%20data-user-id%3D%22JvElVFeu4H9q%22%20href%3D%22/topic/akhilesh-yadav%22%3E%23AkhileshYadav%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23UttarPradesh%22%20data-user-id%3D%228fpxFfZw7Hfa%22%20href%3D%22/topic/uttar-pradesh%22%3E%23UttarPradesh%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23FarmLaws%22%20data-user-id%3D%22mZ9Lh9yZZ33C%22%20href%3D%22/topic/farmlaws%22%3E%23FarmLaws%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23FarmBill%22%20data-user-id%3D%22qJJ4mQqHOo7z%22%20href%3D%22/topic/farm-bill%22%3E%23FarmBill%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Lucknow%22%20data-user-id%3D%22S6jvseddGyo9%22%20href%3D%22/topic/lucknow%22%3E%23Lucknow%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B