Samajwadi Party members disrupted proceedings of UP Assembly on Wednesday over their demand for caste-based census during the Question Hour, resulting in adjournment of the House.
SP members demonstrated inside the Well of the House raising anti-government slogans due to which the Question Hour was disrupted for about 50 minutes.
Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary raised the demand for caste-based census as the House assembled for the day. He said that members of Other Backward Community (OBC) were being denied their rights and hence the fresh census to start from April, should also include caste census.
Chaudhary said that the BJP government was denying the rights of OBCs and claiming themselves to be the champion of OBCs.
When Speaker Hriday Narain Dikshit refused to allow them to speak, SP members trooped in the Well of the House raising slogans.
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said that neither the state government nor the Assembly had the power to order for a caste-based census. He claimed that SP members were in no mood to work and were hence trying to raise an issue, which had no relevance for the Assembly.
The Speaker also said that the Assembly had no power to order a caste-based census.
Later, as disturbance continued, Dikshit adjourned the House for 35 minutes, which was later increased by another 10 minutes.
In recent past, the SP has been raising the issue of caste-based census and demanding reservation for OBCs as per their population.