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Opposition disrupts UP Governor's address

Special Correspondent

Samajwadi Party members lead the attack over incidents of rape, corruption

Photo: Subir Roy

Samajwadi Party members wearing black robes with placards stalling the proceeding during Governor B. L. Joshi's address to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow on Friday.

LUCKNOW: The Budget Session of the Uttar Pradesh legislature got off to a stormy start on Friday with the Opposition disrupting Governor B. L. Joshi's address to the joint sitting of the Assembly and the Council.

Members of the Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal jointly attacked the Mayawati regime over the recent incidents of rape and atrocities on women, corruption and law and order, forcing the Governor to quickly conclude his address.

Leading the attack was the Samajwadi Party. Its members were dressed in black, with stickers reading anti-government slogans pasted on their chest and back.

When the Governor entered the Assembly, the entire Opposition was on its feet, waving placards and banners and shouting slogans. While the BJP and RLD members stood on their seats, the Samajwadi Party members stormed the well of the House, even attempting to climb the Speaker's podium. They also demanded release of Independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya. A few missiles were hurled at the Governor.

As pandemonium prevailed, Mr. Joshi was heard telling the Opposition members that if they were unwilling to hear his address he would wind it up after reading out the concluding portion. Thereafter, he left the House. The House was adjourned within five minutes.

When the Vidhan Sabha re-assembled after a recess of 90 minutes, Pramod Tiwari (Congress) said the Governor's address should not be read by the Speaker (a mandatory provision), as Mr. Joshi did not read out his entire address. He was joined by Hukum Singh of the BJP, who said that only Dalit icons found a mention in the address, with the names of Mahatma Gandhi, Lord Rama, Lord Krishna and Gautam Buddha having been left out.

As for the Governor criticising the Central government, given that he is the Centre's representative, Mr. Hukum Singh said the Governor must have been “helpless” and “unhappy”, so he did not read out the whole address.

Ambika Chaudhary of the Samajwadi Party said the Governor must have been apprised of the “BSP government's patronage of rapists,” so he would have thought it better not to read the address. The member urged that there be another address by the Governor with a resolve worked in it to oust the present government.

Leader of the Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav demanded that the address not be read again.

However, Mr. Rajbhar overruled the Opposition's contention, saying that as per the House convention, when the opening and concluding parts were read out by the Governor, the address was taken as fully read.

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