Opposition BJP and BSP today demanded apology and dismissal of State Secondary Education minister Vinod Kumar over his remark which they claimed amounted to open admission of giving shelter to criminals and anti-social elements.
During the debate on budget for Public Works Department (PWD) in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Bavan Singh of BJP said the roads in his native Gonda district were damaged because of illegal sand mining.
In a rebuttal, Kumar alias Pandit Singh, who also comes from the same district, held a BJP MP responsible for illegal mining and said though Bavan attacks the government, yet he seeks its help in hour of need and mentioned a recent murder case in this connection.
Pandit's remark agitated the BJP members who stormed into the Well of the House even as leader of Opposition and BSP veteran Swami Prasad Maurya said the remark has exposed the real face of the Samajwadi Party government.
"The minister's open admission has vindicated our charges that it is a government of goons and murderers... The whole government is in the docks," Maurya said.
Speaking for the government, Minister for Physically Challenged, Ambika Chaudhary said there was nothing wrong in Pandit's statement and the opposition was trying to give the issue a political colour and defame Samajwadi Party.
As BJP members squatted into the Well demanding that the minister withdrew his remark and tendered an apology, BSP members who were on their seats raised slogans asking for the dismissal of the minister.
Even as Speaker Mata Prasad assured the members to expunge the objectionable remark from the records, leader of BJP legislature party Suresh Khanna insisted that the minister withdrew his statement.
As the opposition members continued their protests, the Speaker hurriedly got passed the budgets listed in the agenda by voice vote and adjourned the House for the day.
