Samajwadi Party Stages Protest, UP Assembly Monsoon Session Off to a Rocky Start

Akhilesh Yadav staged a protest after being stopped by the police from entering the Vidhan Sabha.

The march was set to start at the SP office and culminate at the Vidhan Bhavan.

(Photo: PTI)

As the Monsoon Session of both the houses of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly started on Monday, 19 September, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav led a protest march to highlight issues such as unemployment, crime against women, and price rise among others.

Akhilesh Yadav and his party leaders have returned to the party office after they were stopped by UP Police from entering the Vidhan Sabha.

According to the police, the protest march was stopped because the party refused to follow a designated route that wouldn't have caused traffic congestion.

The session has been adjourned for the day and the Assembly is set to assemble on 20 September at 11 am.

Samajwadi Party, in a tweet, said that the BJP is "killing democracy."

The march was set to start at the SP office and culminate at the Vidhan Bhavan while passing through Raj Bhavan.

The Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly Satish Manaha had on Sunday, during an all-party meeting, asked the cooperation from the floor leaders of the parties in the smooth functioning of the house.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Dy CM KP Maurya React to Protest

Responding to the protest march, UP Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya said that the SP's protest is not related to the benefit of the common people and "if they want to discuss this, they are free to do it in the Assembly."

He added that the BJP government is ready for discussions on the issues that the SP aims to highlight.

"SP is jobless now, they've nothing to do. Such protests will only create problems for people," Maurya told ANI.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the people of UP have a lot of expectations from this session and that the UP government will discuss the issue of floods among others.

In a response to the protest march led by SP, Adityanath said, "We'll answer the questions of the opposition during this Monsoon session."

"There is no harm if any party asks their questions in a democratic way. Samajwadi Party should take permission for any procession which should not harm anyone. Following laws and orders is too much of an expectation from Samajwadi Party leaders," he further slammed the party.

SP's chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said on Sunday that the party MLAs and MLCs will raise issues of unemployment, poor law and order situation, price rise, and crime against women in the state during the march.

Chaudhary said that the party members will aggressively raise issues of the people in both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council.

Chaudhary added that social harmony is in danger under the BJP government as the party is working with a "revenge mentality." He further alleged that contrary to the spirit of democracy, the BJP is doing "politics of hate."

(With inputs from PTI, ANI, and NDTV.)