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Uttar Pradesh assembly: Amid uproar over Sambhal, Bahraich, Question Hour hit on first day of winter session
The UP assembly's winter session began chaotically, with opposition parties disrupting proceedings over recent violence, leading to multiple adjournments.
The Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly’s winter session began on a stormy note on Monday. Question Hour could not be held with the major opposition parties -- mainly the Samajwadi Party and the Congress -- raising the issue of the recent violence in Sambhal and Baharaich, compelling adjournment of the house.
Soon after the house assembled at 11am, most of the Samajwadi Party members entered the well of the house and began shouting anti-government slogans. The slogan-shouting continued for nearly 20 minutes despite repeated requests from speaker Satish Mahana who urged the members to take their seats.
The speaker tried to take up the listed agenda, saying the state assembly had not seen any adjournments for the past three years. He said the opposition had nothing to say and he would not allow anybody to speak or do anything against the rules. As the Opposition members refused to relent, the speaker adjourned the house till 12.20pm when the Question Hour ended.
Leader of opposition Mata Prasad Pandey rose from his seat soon after the speaker took up the first question on the agenda. He urged Mahana to allow an immediate discussion on violence in Sambhal and Bahraich, adding that he had given notice for the same.
Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ also demanded that she be allowed to speak on the notices given by her on Sambhal and Bahraich violence.
Amid the rising din, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna said Uttar Pradesh was moving fast on the path of development and the rule of law now prevailed in the state. The Opposition was following the agenda of unruliness, he said.
Stating that the adjournment notices could not be taken up, Mahana said he was ready to allow members to speak under rule 56 of the house.
He remarked that Pandey had worked as speaker of the house and was aware that the notices for adjournment could not be taken up under rule 311. He took up the questions listed on the agenda of the house and asked members to ask supplementary questions, or else he would consider that they were satisfied with the written replies.
As the SP members continued raise to anti-Yogi government slogans in chorus, no supplementary questions were asked. Samajwadi Party member Ragini Sonkar said the Opposition members had to shout slogans to make the government hear them. Another SP member Pallavi Patel could not be heard in the din.
