Lucknow, February 9: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s budget session, members of the Samajwadi Party (SP) staged a protest today within the assembly premises. The SP legislators gathered near the statue of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, chanting slogans against the BJP government.
Meanwhile, SP member of the Legislative Council, Ashutosh Sinha, arrived at the assembly on a bicycle to participate in the budget session. He expressed concern over the demolition of temples in Varanasi, stating that he would raise this issue prominently during the session. Legislative party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona also joined the protest against the government alongside SP members.
During the budget session, the opposition is expected to confront the state government on several issues, including the special revision of the voter list (SIR), the smuggling of codeine cough syrup, unemployment, women’s safety, and foreign policy. There is a likelihood of protests from SP members during the governor’s address. Following the governor’s speech, essential legislative work will be conducted in the house.
On Tuesday, the assembly proceedings will be adjourned after paying tribute to both former and current deceased members, resuming on Wednesday when the state government will present the budget for the fiscal year 2026-27. In light of the budget session, stringent security measures have been implemented around the Vidhan Bhavan. Prior to this, a multi-party meeting and a business advisory committee meeting were held, where all parties assured cooperation for the smooth conduct of the assembly proceedings.
In the earlier multi-party meeting, Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana appealed for collaboration from all party leaders. He emphasized that dialogue, discussion, and healthy debate are the cornerstones of parliamentary democracy, asserting that the assembly should be a platform for deliberation, not chaos.
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Wiketi/AS