Lucknow, March 5 -- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday criticized the suspension of party leader Abu Azmi, alleging that ideological influence on such actions undermines democratic values.

In a post on X, Yadav questioned the basis of the suspension and asserted that free thought cannot be curtailed by punitive measures, "If the basis of suspension starts getting influenced by ideology, then what difference will remain between freedom of expression and slavery? Whether it is our MLAs or MPs, their fearless wisdom is unmatched. If some people think that by 'suspension' one can rein in truth, then this is the childishness of their negative thinking. Today's free thinking says, we don't want BJP,"

Earlier today, Maharashtra ...