Oppn boycotts UP Assembly, holds parallel 'House'
24 July 2017 11:28 PM IST
Opposition members on Monday boycotted the proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly for the third day, accusing the Leader of the House Yogi Adityanath of not taking any initiative to end the deadlock, even as the Speaker termed their stand as "unfortunate".
Instead of participating in the proceedings of the House, members of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress sat in the central hall and ran a parallel "House".
With just four days of the budget session left, Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit expressed displeasure at the opposition's move.
It's "unfortunate", he told media persons outside the House which was adjourned after condoling the death of BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal, who died after
prolonged illness.
"I had called the opposition for a meeting of the business advisory committee that decides agenda of the House. I was expecting them to participate in the proceedings as condolence was to be taken up on the death of a legislator.
It's unfortunate," Dixit said.
"The alternative of House is the House alone", Dixit emphasised adding that the opposition members should raise their voice in the Assembly itself. Asked about the opposition's allegations that the microphone was switched off when Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chowdhury was speaking in the House, Dixit said that no such thing had happened.
The opposition has accused the treasury benches of threatening them, using unparliamentary language and decided to boycott the entire session.
"The government is not serious on the issues being raised by the opposition. No attempt has been made by the Leader of the House (Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath) to end the deadlock and run the House. To mark our protest, we sat at the central hall and I was made Leader of the House, while Ram Govind Chowdhury was leader of opposition and Lalji Verma was made Speaker," Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar
Lallu said.
He said that it was unfortunate that the chief minister was not present in the House on Monday at the time of the condolence resolution.
"It has been a tradition that Leader of the House reads the resolution but the CM was not present and it was read by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna,"
Lallu said. mpost
Next Story
