UP: SP boycotts assembly session, holds protest march under Akhilesh on varied issues

The main opposition Samajwadi Party on Friday boycotted the assembly session and staged a protest alleging the government failed to discuss raging issues of inflation and unemployment in the House.

Lucknow:Main opposition Samajwadi Party on Friday boycotted the assembly session and staged a protest alleging the government failed to discuss raging issues of inflation and unemployment in the House. Led by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, the party legislators staged a walkout soon after the House proceedings started on the last day of the five-day monsoon session and took out a march to the party headquarters.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLAs also walked out of the assembly following their ally, Samajwadi Party. At the party office, Yadav told reporters that the government is trying to run away from discussing basic issues in the House by keeping the session for a shorter period. Samajwadi party, during the march alleged that the government has failed to discuss raging issues of inflation, unemployment, corruption and poor law and order due to the short duration of the monsoon session.

Jayant Chaudhary led RLD has eight MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly presently. This protest march by the SP was a reenactment of their failed similar street protest on Monday. Police had stopped a similar march by the party from their office to assembly on the opening day of the current session on September 19 on issues of price rise, unemployment besides prevailing law and order situation in the state.

On being stopped midway by the police on that day, Yadav and the other party leaders had sat on a dharna on the road. They had also held a mock assembly session then with former speaker Mata Prasad Pandey presiding over it. Citing various issues like drought and fee hike in Allahabad University, Yadav asked how poor children will be able to pay such high fees for studies.

"The government should make it clear how women will be protected because the statistics of National Crime Records Bureau and Women's Commission say that Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of crimes against women, he said. Law and order has completely collapsed in the state," Yadav said, alleging the government of not responding to the issues of the people in the House.

"The government should answer on inflation, what concrete steps have been taken to provide employment and what measures have been taken on the law and order front, he added. "They have big dreams of investment and are dreaming of one trillion dollar (economy). What steps have you taken for it ?" Yadav asked. The government does not want to continue the proceedings of the House for a longer duration, the SP chief said.

"Why is it ending the monsoon session within 5 days? All ministers want to give information about their budget. We want to ask them what work they have done. The budget has not yet reached the districts, he said. The five-day monsoon session of the assembly which started on Monday would conclude this evening.

SP's national spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the government does not want to discuss the issues related to the public in the House so the SP MLAs decided they would boycott the proceedings and march on foot to the party office. SP chief whip in the Assembly Manoj Pandey, who participated in the foot march alleged that the problems of farmers are not being heard under the BJP rule. Inflation and unemployment are at its peak, there is drought in some places and floods in others but the government does not want to discuss these issues.(PTI)