U.P. winter session set to be stormy as Oppn to raise Sambhal, Bahraich issues

The Uttar Pradesh legislature’s four-day winter session commencing here on Monday is set to be stormy with leaders of major Opposition parties discussing strategies to raise issues of public concern.

Assembly speaker Satish Mahana called an all-party meeting on Sunday to seek cooperation of leaders of political parties. At the meeting, all of those from the treasury benches as well as the Opposition assured their full cooperation.

Nevertheless, the issues of violence in Sambhal and Baharaich, the law and order situation and the state government’s move to present a second supplementary budget for 2024-2025 despite “low utilisation of funds” by some of the major departments are set to be in focus.

“We will raise burning issues in the house. These include violence in Sambhal and Baharaich and other law and order-related issues. We also wanted a longer winter session. But this government probably has no business to run the house longer,” said leader of opposition and senior Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey after attending the all-party meeting.

Those aware of the development said Pandey made his point about raising Sambhal and Bahraich violence issues in the house at the all-party meeting in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday as well. At this, Adityanath said if the opposition raised the issue, his government would reply to the same, mentioning how the Opposition was responsible for abandoning a temple in Sambhal for 46 years.

Pandey was seen briefing his party’s legislators about the developments at the all-party meeting. Pandey and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ also held a meeting to discuss the issues to be raised during the winter session.

“We also want the state government to hold a longer winter session. A four-day session is not sufficient to discuss major issues in the house. The state government also proposes to present the second supplementary grants for 2024-2025 in the house. This government has not been able to make use of a large chunk of annual budget for 2024-2025 and the first supplementary budget for the current financial years. Some departments have not been able to use even 40 per cent of the funds allocated to them,” Mishra said.

Mahana, who presided over the all-party meeting, said he sought cooperation from the leaders of all the political parties to ensure that there was discussion on issues of public concern in the house.

At the all-party meeting, Mahana said the U.P. assembly is being seen as a model by other legislatures across the country.

A senior leader said Mahana wants the house to run without any adjournments as has been mostly done in the past nearly three years and this has remained a point of discussion in corridors of power across the country.

“Leaders of opposition said they wanted to raise issues concerning violence in Sambhal and Baharaich. I will allow them to raise all these issues under relevant rules,” Mahana said.

Minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Mahana said the state government would take the issues raised by the opposition ahead with all the positivity.

Meanwhile, the state government, which earlier proposed a five-day winter session, has now decided to hold only four sittings and the session would end on December 19.

“The state government wants to run the house only for four days. It has no further business for the house, and this became evident at the meeting of business advisory committee on Sunday,” said those aware of the developments.