The Winter session of Uttar Pradesh got off to a stormy start here on Thursday as united Opposition stalled proceedings of both Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad over hike in power tariff in the State as well as other issues like law and order.
Sloganeering and waving of posters by members of Samajwadi Party and Congress forced suspension of the Question Hour in both the Houses. In Vidhan Parishad Opposition members even threw paper balls towards the Chairman’s seat. In the State Assembly, except for obituary references on the death of former legislators, Opposition members kept shouting slogans demanding rollback of increased power tariff.
Soon after the House met for the day Samajwadi Party members, wearing red caps, and Congress donning white caps, rushed to the well of the House, waving posters and raising slogans against the BJP Government. They were demanding immediate discussion on the issue of power hike.
Speaker Hridya Narain Dikshit tried to pacify the Opposition and even assured them of taking up the issue during Zero Hour but the Opposition stuck to its demand forcing Speaker to adjourn the House.
Speaker even commented that the Opposition’s attitude was very annoying and even warned them that people of the state were watching their “undemocratic act” as the proceedings were being telecast live. He also objected to waving of posters inside the House.
Following adjournment, Opposition party members staged a sit-in inside the House. The Opposition alleged that the Government had burdened the common man by hiking the power tariff.
Raising the issue of power tariff hike, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Choudhury demanded that it be withdrawn immediately. “The State Government is answerable to the people, who voted them to power but now they are taking undemocratic steps to harass the poor people of the state,” Choudhury alleged. Bahujan Samaj Party leader Lalji Verma, alleged that hike of around 150 per cent for rural consumer was not acceptable at any cost. He also demanded a special debate in the House.
Congress legislature party leader Ajay Kumar Lalu said the Opposition would continue to agitate till power tariff hike is withdrawn.
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna defended the Government by saying that the hike was made by the Electricity Regulatory Commission and not the State Government. “The cost of one unit of electricity which was Rs 6.35 in 2016-17 has gone up to Rs 6.74 per unit in 2017-18. The Government was still providing Rs 4.38 per unit subsidy to the rural populace who would pay just Rs 300 for using 100 units of power in a month,” the minister said.
Claiming that the power infrastructure and supply had improved under the BJP regime, Khanna said that 8,000 new transformers had been installed. Besides, power was being supplied to rural areas at least for 18 hours a day while in the cities it was 23 hours.
“We have also given free electricity connections to 5.19 lakh poor consumers. Besides, more than 1.23 lakh new villages with a population of just 100 have been given power connectivity,” he claimed.
“The people of the State have rejected Opposition parties once again in the urban local bodies after their defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2017 Assembly polls. They are just trying to make it an issue which is totally illegal and undemocratic,” he added.
Khanna said that the Opposition was always trying to blame the EVMs for their defeat, but now BJP was ready to hold fresh Assembly elections through ballot papers if Opposition members put in their resignations.
Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath went to the Opposition benches to meet the members. The CM is reported to have also hugged Mohammad Azam Khan outside the House when they both met. In Vidhan Parishad the House was adjourned after Opposition squatted on the floor of the House. Both the Houses will now meet on Friday.