The short Budget session of Uttar Pradesh State legislature began on a stormy note on Wednesday when entire opposition forced Governor B.l. Joshi to cut short his speech which talked about achievements of Akhilesh Government including state attaining a growth rate of 5.9 per cent against the national average of 5 per cent.
In an unprecedented scene two RlD legislators –Vir Singh Rathi and Sudesh Sharma – took off their shirts and vests and staged protest half-naked to highlight the plight of workers in closed textile mills of Modi Nagar. The Bharatiya Janata Party stayed away from these protests as it boycotted Governor’s address saying what Joshi would eulogise government performance which would be nothing but a bundle of lies.
This being the first legislative session of the year it started with the joint session of State Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan parishad that was addressed by the Governor. As soon as House assembled entire opposition led by Bahujan Samaj Party raised anti-government slogans in. The BSP members wearing paper tiara with slogans written on it stood on their seats demanding immediate dismal of the Government. Some members were also carrying banners that read ‘kisan-virodhi sarkar barkhast karo (dismiss anti-farmer government),’jungle raj samapt karo (end jungle rule). The RlD and Congress members were also carrying banners with them.
Hailing state government for its efforts for industrialization, the Uttar Pradesh Goevrnor claimed that the growth rate of the state stood at 5.9 per cent in the year 2012-13, while it was only five per cent at the national level in the corresponding period. Highlighting the endeavour in minority welfare sector, he said as many as 85 welfare schemes of 30 departments had been selected, under which 20 per cent of the target of these schemes was quantified for minority community.”My government is determined to bring the minority community to the main social stream by ensuring their all-round development as per recommendations of the Sachchar committee,” he pointed out.
Joshi said that the present government had promulgated new Agriculture Police-2013 in the year 2013, under which stress had been laid on formulation and implementation of new schemes in future, along with achieving and increase of 5.1 per cent in the agriculture growth rate and augmenting agriculture production and productivity. Presenting the pro-farmer face of his government, the UP Governor said the facilities had been provided to them for free irrigation from government resources like government tube well and to farmers.
Further claiming the achievements in the field of technical, vocational, basic and secondary education , he said the state government had opened engineering college in naxal-affected Sonebhadra district beside giving technical university status to M M College ,Gorakahpur and three new medical colleges. Showcasing the proposed lucknow Metro project, he said it would be start soon and relieve traffic pressure in the state capital. Beside, the state government had already started radio taxi scheme in 13 cities of the states, he informed.
Joshi was specially all praise for the various schemes of health department and said the free treatment and free medicines were highlights of the initiatives taken up by the state government. He said the 108 abulance service had so far benefited about 17 lakh patients during two year regime of the present government. He also claimed success of 102 ambulance service for pregnant women across the state and said many more pro-people schemes of health department were proving to be beneficial for the poors. The UP Governor declared that the target of 24-hour power supply in urban areas and 16-hour in rural areas by 2016-17 would be achieved. The Bara power project and Srinagar hydel project would be completed by this year beside lalitpur thermal project next year.
Surprisingly, the Governor’s address did not touch the sensitive issue of law and order specially the relief measures in Muazaffarnagar and Shamli following infamous riots. The Vidhan Parishad also witnessed uproarious scenes when opposition members including from the Teachers’ group entered the well of the House demanding sacking of the Government for its failure to control law and order.