UP budget session: Noisy scenes on day one; Governor's address disrupted by Opposition protest

Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel's customary address to the joint session of both the Houses was disrupted by the Opposition which wanted to raise issues relating to the deteriorating law and order, inflation and unemployment.

Lucknow: The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly which began on Monday was adjourned after the Governor's Anandiben Patel's address amid ruckus by the opposition led by the Samajwadi Party citing deteriorating law and order, inflation and unemployment.

Soon after the budget session of the assembly began at 11 am with the address of Governor Anandiben Patel, the opposition MLAs assembled in the well of the house and started raising slogans against the government. The opposition MLAs were seen chanting slogans of "Rajyapal Go Back" (Governor go back).

They showed placards in the Assembly opposing the Governor's Address. Amid ruckus, the Governor read the address and the House was adjourned for the day. The session will resume at 11 am on Tuesday. The Yogi Adityanath led state government will present a Rs 7.5 lakh crore budget for the year 2023-24 on Feb. 22.

Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Samajwadi chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav targeted the Yogi government over the demolition drive in the state which was recently marred by the death of a mother-daughter duo in a fire incident in Kanpur Dehat.

"You saw how a mother-daughter duo was killed due to bulldozer. You are bulldozing people and expecting investment in the state," Akhilesh said in an apparent dig at the Yogi government regarding the UP Investors Summit. Akhilesh said that the Yogi government, which was expecting investment in the state, had "failed to protect trees on the road".

Earlier in the morning before the commencement of the session, the SP MLAs held a sit-in outside the assembly near the statue of Chaudhary Charan Singh under the leadership of National General Secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav. The protesting MLAs led by Yadav sat on a dharna to register their protest. The protesting SP MLAs also held placards to raise issues with regard to inflation and law and order situation in the state.

Samajwadi Party leader Chief Whip Manoj Pandey said that the party will cooperate fully in running the house. He was quick to add "the party will raise issues related to public interest in the House". We will fully cooperate with the government in running the House on positive issues. Apart from this, will also ask questions to the government on issues related to public interest, he said.