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SP stages walkout over stray cattle menace, quota policy “anomalies”
To check the menace of stray cattle, the state government organised a monthlong drive and 2.61 lakh stray cattle were sent to cowsheds, says animal husbandry minister
LUCKNOW The Samajwadi Party staged a walkout in the legislative assembly on Tuesday, protesting over the “state government’s failure to check stray cattle menace” and alleged irregularities in the implementation of reservation policy in recruitment on various posts in KGMU and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) in Lucknow.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, SP MLA Manoj Pandey said stray cattle had become a matter of concern for farmers and common people as standing crop on agri fields had been destroyed by animals in various districts. “Despite severe cold weather, farmers are forced to spend nights on the field to protect their crop from stray cattle,” he added.
“Due to mismanagement, cowsheds set up by the government have failed to address the problem and several cattle have died in the shelters. The state government should give compensation to farmers whose crops have been destroyed,” said Pandey.
Animal husbandry minister Dharampal Singh said usually farmers do not maintain cows after they stop producing milk. “To check the menace of stray cattle, the state government organised a monthlong drive and 2.61 lakh stray cattle were sent to cowsheds. When stray cattle are caught, local people force the teams to free the animals. The state government is committed to stray cattle free streets and fields,” he said.
Expressing displeasure over the minister’s reply, SP MLAs trooped out of the House raising slogans against the state government.
Raising the issue of reservation in government jobs, SP MLA Lalji Verma said OBCs, and Dalits were not getting benefit of reservation in government jobs after the BJP government came to power.
“Applications for recruitment on various posts were invited by the KGMU. There is no reservation for OBC and Dalit category candidates on several posts, whereas majority of the posts have been reserved for general category candidates,” he said.
“At RMLIMS too, the reservation policy has not been implemented in recruitments. The medical education minister has ordered an inquiry into the matter, but the recruitment of doctors and teachers is continuing. OBC and SC candidates are termed as not suitable for the posts and general category candidates are employed. There is scam in the recruitment of doctors and teachers at KGMU and Lohia Institute,” Verma alleged.
Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said: “Our government is committed to the implementation of reservation policy and provide its benefit to OBC and Dalit candidates. The SP government had violated the quota policy in recruitments on various government posts. Their MPs had also opposed the reservation in promotion and reservation for women on the floor of the Parliament. The party is misguiding people over the quota issue.”
He said the state government had ordered a probe into recruitments and a committee was constituted. “The reservation policy will be implemented,” added Pathak.
Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said the BJP government was committed to the implementation of reservation in government jobs as per the Constitution.
Registering protest over the minister’s reply, the SP MLAs staged a walkout from the legislative assembly.
