The monsoon session of the UP legislature got off to a stormy start today with the opposition targeting the government in both the houses over Muzaffarnagar violence, disrupting proceedings and forcing adjournment for the day.
Slogan-shouting opposition members wearing caps and displaying placards trooped into the well of both the Houses and also jostled with marshals to reach to the podium.
As soon as the Assembly met at 11 AM, members of opposition parties, including BSP, Congress, BJP and Rashtriya Lok Dal stormed into the well and slammed the government over the violence that has claimed 47 lives and displaced over 40,000 people.
While Congress members demanded resignation of the government, saying, "Politics on corpses" must be stopped, BJP legislators said "harassment" of panchayats and Hindus should be stopped.
"Balatkariyon ka sanrakshan band karo, panchayaton ka utpeedan band karo (stop patronising rapists, stop harassment of panchayats," a placard carried by a BJP member read.
BSP members, who climbed on their seats, displayed placards with slogans like "VHP-SP ki pehle dawat, chaurasi kosi parikrama ke baad adawat (VHP-SP first feast and then show animosity after 84 kosi parikrama) while the BJP raised slogans like "bspa, sapa, cong-i, chor chor mausere bhai'(BSP, SP and Congress are all one).
After the adjournment of the question hour, the House reassembled amidst the din with the opposition continuing with the protest.
Though Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey rushed through the agenda and asked the opposition members to raise their demand on the issue through the adjournment motion in the zero hour, the opposition did not budge.
Amidst the pandemonium, Congress members Pradip Mathur and Pramod Tewari were heard saying that their party want a discussion so as to expose the real faces of those who instigated riots.
"We will not allow UP to become another Gujarat . Those who want to do so should be sent out", Tewari said.
