Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (Express photo/File)
The Opposition in the state Assembly on Monday raised questions over recent police encounters and the government’s attempt to get the budgets of 92 departments passed in one day. The annual budget of Rs 4,28,384 crore for the year ending March 31, 2019, was later passed through a voice vote, along with all department budgets and the Appropriation Bill.
Leader of Opposition and SP leader Ram Govind Chaudhary said that the government had reached new heights when it comes to encounters, adding that to his knowledge, nowhere have so many such incidents taken place in such a short span of time.
The Opposition leader claimed that in most encounters, both the alleged criminals and police had sustained injuries on the side, while an exchange of fire is usually face to face. “Mutbher hoti hai amne samne (a confrontation takes place face to face),” said Chaudhary, gesturing towards his chest. However, in 90 per cent of such incidents, this was not the case, he added. “Dono ka nishana galat.. dakait ka bhi, police ka bhi…(both the miscreant and the police got their aim wrong)” he further said, gesturing towards the side of his leg.
Read | Uttar Pradesh: Six encounters in 24 hours, two criminals killed
The SP leader was speaking on the cut motion moved by him, where he also targeted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his claim that no riots had taken place, nor would take place during his regime. Pointing towards the treasury benches, Chaudhary said, “Kehte hain danga nahi hoga, jab ake yahan baidh gaye to danga karega kaun. (They say there will be no riots, but if they are sitting here, who will do the riots?)”
He further said that if, according to the chief minister, some criminals had been killed, others sent to jail and the remaining had escaped, then the larger question would be — who is still committing the crimes?
The Leader of Opposition further said that this is the first time that the budgets of all departments were being tabled and passed in a day when the Opposition was ready to cooperate and participate in the debate. In their respective speeches, BSP Legislature Party leader Lalji Verma and Congress legislature Party leader Ajai Kumar “Lallu” too asked how all budgets were being cleared in a day.
“Kya dar hai? (What is the fear),” asked Chaudhary, alleging that the budget was being forced on them so that “no discussion takes place”. Referring to it as “anti-people, anti-farmers, anti-students, anti-unemployed and anti-journalists”, he alleged that the present government was merely making claims over the work undertaken by the previous Akhilesh regime, adding that the government had only one work to do — “Ram nam japna paraya maal apna”. Chaudhary also pointed out that many ministers were not even present in the House at the time.
Later in the day, Lalji Verma said there should be discussions for at least 24 days (before the budget is passed). He further said that whenever the budget had been passed in such a manner in the past, there had been some hurdle in the functioning of the House, while no such hurdle had been created by the Opposition this time.
When Verma also questioned the budgets being passed in a day, members from the treasury benches objected. In response, Verma asked them to quit their “arrogance of being in majority” and said, “Abhi Gorakhpur aur Phulpur mein apke ahankar ko mitaya hai (The recent Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls had wiped out your arrogance).”
Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit then intervened to resolve the issue. Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar “Lallu” too spoke on similar lines, but his cut motion was rejected by a voice vote.