The UP Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on Saturday when members of the BSP and the Congress raised the issue of murder of a dalit employee of Ambedkar University at Agra and the cash reward promise by former Badaun chief of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha who could slit the tongue of JNU student union chief Kanhaiya Kumar.
BSP members trouped in the Well of the House demanding Rs 20 lakh for the family of dalit victim Satyendra Kumar - a clerk of the Agra University, who was murdered on February 13. The angry BSP MlAs alleged that the UP government doled out Rs 10 lakh to the family of slain VHP leader Arun Mahaur due to ‘political reasons’ but ignored the murdered dalit.
The House witnessed noisy scenes for about five minutes after which Parliamentary Affairs minister Azam Khan pacified the members assuring punishment to the killers and raising the issue of compensation for the victim’s family with the CM. Khan also said that the UP government gave Rs 10 lakh to Mahaur to counter the negative propaganda by communal forces and it should not be compared with the dalit employee’s killing.
The BSP raised the issue after Union minister of state for HRD, Ramashanker Kateharia on Friday questioned the BSP leaders as to why the party was silent on the murder of dalits in Agra.
The Congress members raised the issue of the ex-Budaun chief of BJYM announcing an award of Rs 5 lakh to anyone who would slit the tongue of the JNUSU chief. “The statement is an effort to divide the country and foment communal disturbances,” alleged Congress member Pankaj Malik.
Replying to the issue, Parliamentary Affairs minister Azam Khan said, that the state government would deal such people attempting to spew communal hatred, with a firm hand. He said that it semed that some people issue provocative comments to find a space in the media.
Meanhwile, BJP leader Suresh Kumar Khanna raised the issue of scarcity of drinking water due to depletion of ground water level across the state. He said the hand pumps installed in rural areas have become inoperational and demanded that these be rebored or replaced immediately. He asked the government to sanction at least 300 hand pumps for each Assembly segment. BJP legislator from Gorakhpur, Radha Mohan Agarwal through Adjournment notice raised the issue of flouting of Right to Education (RTE) Act by private schools.
He pointed out that the rules framed by the state government were faulty and contravened the guidelines laid down by Supreme Court. Agarwal charged that the government was soft on private schools which were flouting the Act by denying admission to poor students. Opposing the notice, Azam Khan said that it was not possible for the UP government to force private unaided schools to implement the RTE. “Moreover it was against the law of natural justice to ask schools to implement RTE who are not given any financial assistance by the state government,” he said.