Uttar Pradesh Assembly speaker H N Dishit addresses the media at the Central Hall, during budget session in Lucknow on Thursday. PTI Photo
The Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday decided to boycott the ongoing Budget session to protest, what they termed, the “arrogance” of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Members of the SP, BSP, Congress and RLD staged a walkout in the Assembly after lodging a strong protest over the “tone and tenor” used by Adityanath in the House on Thursday while speaking on the Budget.
“The chief minister’s choice of words for the Opposition is regrettable. His speech was undemocratic and reflected his arrogance... the government wants to suppress the voice of the Opposition,” Leader of the Opposition and SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary said.
His views were echoed by BSP’s Lalji Verma and Congress leader Ajai Kumar, who also criticised Adityanath and his party members. “We have decided to boycott the rest of the Budget session. There is no point staying in the House when you are not allowed to speak,” Chaudhary said.
He also claimed his microphone was switched off while he was speaking. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said there was no attempt to suppress the voice of the Opposition.