Opposition boycotts UP Assembly for third day, holds parallel 'House'

LUCKNOW: Opposition members today boycotted the proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly for the third day, accusing the Leader of the House of not taking any initiative to end the deadlock.

Instead of participating in the proceedings of the House, members of the Samajwadi Party, the BSP and the Congress sat in the Central Hall and ran a parallel "House".

The opposition has accused the treasury benches of threatening them and using unparliamentary language.


"The government is not serious on the issue 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 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 told PTI.

The Opposition leaders also condoled death of BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal and said it was unfortunate that Chief Minister Yogi was not present in the House for condolence resolution.

"It has been a tradition that Leader of the House reads the resolution but CM was not present and it was read by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna," he said adding that opposition's protest will continue.

Instead of discussion on issues related to law and order, farmers, unemployment raised by opposition, the government is "threatening" members and this will not be tolerated, he said.

In the previous regime when BJP member Upendra Tiwari sat on a dharna, the then Parliamentary Affairs minister Azam Khan, senior minister Shivpal Yadav and Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey had reached out to him and got the dharna lifted, he said, adding the present government did not want to run the House with opposition.