Budget Session Off to Stormy Start as Akhilesh Yadav Leads Oppn Charge Against UP Guv’s ‘Bundle of Lies’

The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly began on Monday on a rowdy note as the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led opposition protested inside the premises even as Governor Anandiben Patel addressed a joint session of both the Houses.

Under the leadership of SP MLA – Leader of Opposition Akhilesh Yadav – Were seen waving placards and raising slogans to go back from the governor.

Opposition legislators staged a protest at the portico outside the assembly before the House began at 11 am. An unplanned protest by SP MLAs minutes before the arrival of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Patel led to a heated exchange of words and a minor scuffle between the assembly security personnel and the elected representatives.

Speaking to the media before the start of the session, Yogi Adityanath said that he was “looking forward to the cooperation of the opposition in the smooth functioning of the House”. Reaching out to the opposition, he said: “Many major initiatives have been taken for the economic and social development of the state and the government is open to all discussions.”

Meanwhile, while talking to reporters while going to the assembly, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Yogi government has failed on every front. “The Samajwadi Party will raise the issues of law and order, unemployment, plight of farmers and crime against women,” he said. Yadav also questioned the development claims of the government. In response to a question related to the demand for caste census, the SP chief said that his party would raise it in the current session.

However, as soon as Patel began his address, all appeals for smooth functioning of the House were ignored by the opposition. Appreciating the achievements made by his government in the one year since returning to power in March last year, the governor said: “UP has emerged as the engine of the country’s growth momentum and the state has made significant gains through recent global investments. has seen a huge push of investment since. meeting.”

The governor also said that during his regime, the maximum number of Jan Dhan accounts have been opened, new employment opportunities have been created at record levels and farmers’ income has increased.

Highlighting the achievements of his government, he said: “New expressways have been built in the last few years and there has been significant improvement in the health, education and infrastructure sectors in the state.”

During the hour-long address, the opposition under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav kept on raising slogans. Party MLAs also reached the Well of the House, but Patel remained unmoved.

Talking to the media after the Governor’s address, SP General Secretary Swami Prasad Maurya termed it as a lie. “The governor’s speech was a bundle of lies, it was far removed from the ground reality of the state. So, it was our responsibility to raise the voice of the people before them.”

Congress MLA Aradhana Mishra also pulled up the Governor’s address. “The address lacked vision. It had no roadmap for the future and was far from the truth. It tried to present a rosy picture of the state while crimes against women have increased.”

On Wednesday, the Yogi Adityanath government can present the budget for the financial year 2023-2024. The size of the budget is likely to be around Rs 7 lakh crore, which will be Rs 50,000 crore more than the previous fiscal year 2022-2023. The budget will see a reflection of the mega success of the recent Global Investment Summit which has attracted proposals worth over Rs 33 lakh crore.

The motion of thanks to the Governor’s address will begin after the presentation of the budget on February 22 and conclude on February 24. The assembly will resume discussion on the budget from February 25.

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