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Uttar Pradesh Budget session from Friday: As new rules bar placards, MLAs may stage innovative protests
This will be the governor’s first address after the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the UP Legislative Assembly-2023.
With the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly’s new rulebook barring members from displaying flags, placards and banners in the House, the MLAs may have to resort to working out new ways to protest when governor Anandiben Patel addresses a joint sitting to open the budget session here on Friday (February 2).
This will be the governor’s first address after the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the U.P. Legislative Assembly-2023. The governor is scheduled to reach the Vidhan Sabha Hall to address the members of the two Houses at 11am.
“We expect the members to follow the rules and not display any flags, placards or banners carrying slogans as provided in the new rulebook. We don’t want to suggest anything. But there are other ways, too, like standing at their place if the opposition members want to protest. The governor’s is a Constitutional office, and the members should uphold the dignity of the post,” said Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly speaker Satish Mahana on the phone.
The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the UP Legislative Assembly-2023, while listing various rules, also provides a separate list of rules to be followed by the members. The rulebook at point numbers 15 to 16 (page-29) reads “(15) will not display flags, symbols or any other displayable items in the house. (16) Will not distribute literature, questionnaire, booklets, press comments and slips etc. that is not related to the house.”
As the governor’s address before the joint sitting of the two Houses provides an opportunity to the opposition to lodge protest on issues of public concern, the major opposition parties are getting ready to raise various issues.
“SP (Samajwadi Party) Legislature Party meeting has been convened on February 1 (Thursday) to decide the party’s strategy for the budget session. We will, however, surely raise the issues of public concern. The display of placards and flags etc. was banned in the Monsoon session. But the members used them to lodge their protest. If the members are not allowed to display placards and banners etc. this time, we will work out other ways as was done in the last session,” Samajwadi Party chief whip Manoj Kumar Pandey said.
Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ said her party would surely raise the issues of public concern though she did not share how this would be done during the governor’s address.
The Samajwadi Party’s members wore shirts carrying slogans and banners to lodge their protest in the last session.
The speaker has on convened a meeting of leaders of all the political parties on Thursday to seek their cooperation for smooth conduct of the business of the House. A meeting of the business advisory committee has also been convened to give final touches to the agenda for the Budget session that may continue till February 12.
