Chaotic start to UP Assembly session,SP members create ruckus

Lucknow, Feb 10 (PTI) Unruly scenes rocked the Uttar
Pradesh Assembly Tuesday when opposition Samajwadi party
members kicked up a ruckus over the killing of a government
engineer by standing on tables and throwing paper missiles
forcing a hapless Governor T V Rajeswar to hastily abandon his
customary address.

Marshals had a tough time in fending off the paper
missile attacks at the Speaker's podium where the Governor
stood as the joint sitting of the state Legislature marking
the start of the budget session descended into chaos in a free
for all.

SP-led opposition members raised anti-government slogans
and raised banners and black flags the moment the governor
began to read his address. Some members also stood on the desk
of the official reporters.

A shocked Governor had to abandon his address when
opposition members rushed to the podium to prevent him from
reading out the text in protest against what they called
deteriorating law and order situation in the state under the
rule of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and Chief Minister
Mayawati. They demanded the dismissal of the Mayawati
government.

The agitated members who were prevented from moving
forward then climbed on the tables and displayed banners --
"UP hui kangal, bahenji hui malamal," and "engineer ki
hathyari sarkar barkhast karo".

Congress and RLD members also joined the SP legislators
and shouted slogans targeting the Mayawati government.

After a futile wait for order in the House, the governor
was seen making a symbolic reference of his 71 page speech
amidst pandemonium and hurried off with an audible 'Jai Hind".

Right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members were not
present in the House as the party had boycotted the governor's
address.

The scene was similar in the Vidhan Parishad when it
assembled separately at 12.30 pm (IST) with the SP and the RLD
members trooping into the well of the House and raising
slogans against the government holding it responsible for
'engineer's murder and atrocities on farmers and women.'

The opposition did not allow reading of the governor's
address and the Upper House was adjourned for the day.

Later, as the Vidhan Sabha assembled separately, Congress
and SP alleged that as governor could not read his address, he
should be called again. But, Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar said the
address had been deemed as read.

The House rushed through the official business like
tabling of four Ordinances including, Dr Shakuntala Misra UP
Handicapped University, UP Sugar Mills (acquisition)
Amendment, Society Registration (amendment) and UP
Participatory Irrigation Management Ordinances, before being
adjourned for the day.