The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh legislature got off to a noisy start with Opposition parties including BSP, Congress and RlD disrupting Governor Ram Naik’s address to the joint session, which surprisingly BJP boycotted. This being the first session of the year, Governor addressed a joint session on Wednesday. As soon as Naik entered the Vidhan Sabha the BSP members were on their feet shouting slogan “Governor Vapis jaao.” The RlD members too joined in. But it was blue which dominated the green and wihte flags of RlD.
The members were displaying banners which read: “Samvidhaan virodhi Rajyapal, vapis jaao” (Anti-constitutional Governor Go back),.Yeh hai Akhilesh Yadav ka Raj … Goonda Raj, Goonda Raj (This is Akhilesh Yadav’s regime dominated by goonda), Kisan virodhi sarkar ko barkhast karo (Sack anti-farmer Government).” Majority of the BSP members were wearing blue coloured caps with anti-government sloigans written on it. They were also carrying placards highlighting illegal mining in UP and involvement of a minister in the corruption cases. Bhrasht Mantri, Bhrasht Sarkar, Yehi hai Samjawdi Sarkar, said one of the slogans.
The RlD members too showed placards and flags carrying anti-government slogans to the Governor. Congress members also joined the opposition in protest. The Governor first tried to pacify the members asking them to go back to their seats. When they did not relent he read the first and the last paragraph of his 152-page speech which talked about the achievements of the government.
Senior BSP leader Nasimuddin Siddiqui said they asked Governor to go back because of his failure to sack this government which has failed to control law and order. This Government has failed on all fronts. “The Governor should have sacked this government as demanded by BSP national president Mayawati,” he said.
leader of the Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Swami Prasad Maurya said there was no reason to hear the Governor’s address as the address was prepared by the government and it was nothing but a ‘bundle of lies’. “There is contradiction in what Governor says in public and what he read out in the Vidhan Sabha. In public he says law and order is bad but now he is forced to read out a prepared document which says crime rate is under control,” Maurya said.
The most astonishing fact was the way BJP stayed away from the morning proceedings of the house. Senior BJP member Satish Mahana told The Pioneer that his party has not “boycotted” Governor’s address. We abstained from Governor’s address. The Governor read out the prepared speech which we know is not true, he said. However, BJP leader Suresh Kumar Khanna said that disrespect shown by a senior minister in Akhilesh Yadav Government towards Governor forced the BJP to abstain from the morning proceedings. But he said that party would take part in the debate on Governor’s address saying it was “their constitutional responsibility”.
BSP however took a jibe at BJP for staying away from, morning proceedings as Swamy Prasad Maurya said: “BJP is so shocked after its defeat in Delhi election that it is not able to show its face to the Governor.”