UP Assembly adjourns sine die, opposition cries foul

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly was on Friday abruptly adjourned a week ahead of schedule with the BJP-majority House passing the state Budget without a detailed department-by-department discussion, a move protested by the Opposition The Budget session was earlier supposed to continue till March 6. But a revised schedule brought in by the government scrapped the remaining sittings.

The Budget presented in the assembly on February 18 was passed by voice vote, before Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit adjourned the session sine die The opposition accused the government of running away from a thorough discussion. Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs walked out of the House in protest.

Also as a mark of protest, many opposition members stayed put in the assembly chamber for some time even after the adjournment The assembly’s business advisory committee had earlier decided that the budgets of different departments will be discussed separately, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary said.

The SP leader said this would have given the opposition parties a chance to move cut motions Such motions, seeking a reduction in budget allocations, routinely get defeated in the House if the government of the day has the numbers. Yet they allow parties to express opposition to the provisions.

“The government has brought a supplementary agenda, getting all important budgets passed in one go," Chaudhary complained Bahujan Samaj Party’s Lalji Verma claimed that the government is running away from serious issues that the Opposition planned to raise in the session. He said this amounted to flouting democratic values.

Chaudhary assured the Speaker that if a fuller discussion on the Budget takes place, his party will not cause any disruptions He said it will not stage any walkout or even utter a word but the House should run according to the earlier plan.

Making this point, SP MLAs covered their mouths with masks and sat through silently as the Budget and the Appropriation Bill were passed by voice vote Congress MLA Aradhana Misra said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had himself assured that each point in the Budget will be discussed.

The Congress and the BSP walked out charging that the BJP government was trying to get the Budget passed in a hurry, taking advantage of its numbers in the House Finance Minister Suresh Khanna countered the charge, saying very few sittings of the assembly used to be held when the SP and the BSP were in power.

Uttar Pradesh government had presented a Rs 5 lakh crore Budget for 2020-21 on February 18 The department-by-department discussions on budgetary provisions began on February 24. Ninety-five departments were yet to be taken up discussion..