UP Assembly: Heated exchange over sports budget; Khanna calls ministers 'wrestlers'

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday witnessed a sharp exchange between the treasury and opposition benches over the states sports budget, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna quipping that the governments ministers are wrestlers capable of taking on the opposition. Speaker Satish Mahana subsequently rejected the SP members motion to adjourn the House proceedings.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Thursday witnessed a sharp exchange between the treasury and opposition benches over the state's sports budget, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna quipping that the government's ministers are ''wrestlers'' capable of taking on the opposition. The matter was raised during the Zero Hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) members through an adjournment motion. They demanded to stop the proceedings of the Assembly and hold a discussion. SP MLA Sachin Yadav criticised the proposed budget for sports, claiming funds for many important items were zero and demanding a discussion on the matter. Joining the debate, senior SP member Kamal Akhtar alleged that Uttar Pradesh was legging in sports performance despite its size. He suggested that a higher budget under the previous government had helped talent flourish and stated that the current sports minister lacked a proper understanding of the subject. The Parliamentary Affairs minister interrupted Akhtar's submissions, saying, ''Our ministers are wrestlers and will make him wrestle with Kamal Saheb.'' The remarks prompted Speaker Satish Mahana to intervene, jokingly cautioning that this ''wrestling'' should not take place within the House. Defending the government, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister (Independent Charge) Girish Yadav refuted the opposition's allegations. He highlighted his own credentials in various sports, including hockey, badminton and cricket. Yadav informed the House that playgrounds have been developed in more than 15,000 gram sabhas and work is underway on others. He said that Yogi Adityanath's government is encouraging youth, students and athletes through various schemes. Comparing the current tenure with that of the SP government's tenure, the minister cited the construction of sports stadium in Varanasi and the establishment of the state's first sports university in Meerut, named after Major Dhyan Chand. Speaker Satish Mahana subsequently rejected the SP members' motion to adjourn the House proceedings.

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