The Uttar Pradesh assembly witnessed a ruckus on the inaugural day of the budget session during the address of Governor Anandiben Patel on Tuesday. The SP MLAs indulged in loud sloganeering, forcing the governor to end her speech in 10 minutes.
Samajwadi Party MLAs held a protest against the government over the Maha Kumbh stampede, unemployment, law and order, inflation, and other issues.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking order in the House, said the government was ready for discussion on all issues. Later, while addressing the House, Yogi stated that his government was ready to answer every question posed by the opposition.
“The SP has a habit of protesting every work done by the state government,” Yogi said.
A notable moment during the protest saw an SP leader symbolically carrying the ‘ashes’ of the government’s ethics to criticise the ruling administration’s handling of the incident.
“The Uttar Pradesh government organised the Maha Kumbh, but the mismanagement was such that many people lost their lives. The government is not even disclosing the exact number of deaths. They provide daily figures on the number of devotees who took a holy dip but refuse to release the death toll,” SP MLA Atul Pradhan said.
“We have brought the asthi (ashes) of the government’s ethics because their moral integrity is dead. We have placed these ashes at the temple of politics—the state legislative assembly,” Pradhan said.
“This government has looted the people. They have manipulated elections, mismanaged the Maha Kumbh, and failed to deliver on their promises. We are protesting against all of this,” he said.
“The government made grand claims about the Maha Kumbh, but it has ultimately failed. The stampede that took place during Mauni Amavasya exposed their inefficiency. They touted this as a ‘Digital Kumbh,’ but even now, they have not disclosed the number of lives lost,” he added.
Another SP leader, Ravidas Mehrotra, voiced concerns about the governor’s address, stating, “We will protest during the governor’s speech because it will be full of false praise for the government. This administration has previously leaked exam papers, and now even the governor’s speech has been leaked. The government has failed on all fronts,” Mehrotra said.
Meanwhile, BJP ministers in Uttar Pradesh praised the budget ahead of its introduction in the assembly.
UP Cabinet Minister OP Rajbhar said, “This will be the biggest budget in the state’s history. The Union government presented a budget aimed at prosperity for every section, including farmers, youth, and the unemployed. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh’s budget will focus on prosperity and rapid development.”
Regarding the opposition’s protest, Rajbhar dismissed their actions, stating, “The opposition’s job is to oppose, while the government’s job is to focus on development. Let them protest; we are committed to our work.”