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Unruly scenes and din marked the inaugural day of the Budget Session of Uttar Pradesh legislature on Wednesday.
Pandemonium and slogans by Opposition members welcomed Governor Ram Naik for his address of the legislature.
Naik hurriedly read the first and last lines of his address and retreated in a few minutes.
While, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators stayed away from the House proceedings, Opposition members from the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal indulged in slogan shouting, demanding dismissal of the Akhilesh Yadav government and recall of the governor.
The legislators held placards written with anti-governor and anti-state government slogans. The slogans put the state government in the dock for the alleged problems faced by sugarcane farmers, illegal mining and anarchic regime.
Some of the slogans read: “Nyayapalika virodhi rajyapal, vapas jao vapas jao” (Anti-judiciary governor, go back go back) and “Vikas virodhi SP sarkar, barkhaast karo barkhaast karo” (Dismiss anti-development SP (Samajwadi Party) government).
Some members highlighted deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and setting up of a high court bench in western region of the state.
Outside the House, BJP attacked state Cabinet Minister Mohd Azam Khan for his verbal tirade against Naik in the recent past. Talking to newspersons, state BJP President Laxmi Kant Bajpai demanded the sacking of Khan from the state Cabinet for his “undignified” stance against the governor, which he termed, was the usual demeanour of the minister.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who also holds finance portfolio, would present Uttar Pradesh Budget for 2015-16 on February 24. He had presented the state’s Budget of Rs 2.6 lakh-crore for 2014-15 last year, 18 per cent higher compared to the Budget for 2013-14.
