The Monsoon Session of the Uttar Pradesh State Legislative Assembly will commence today and there have been several indications that this session will be eventful. As the Opposition prepares to try and corner the government on issues such as inflation and law enforcement, the government has directed its ministers and legislators to be prepared to provide answers in a restrained manner. On Sunday, Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana called a meeting with leaders from all political parties in the state to ensure the smooth functioning of the House during the session.
Preparations for a supplementary budget
According to sources, the government is also preparing to present a supplementary budget in the House during this session. The administration might make some announcements regarding this budget before the Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, in February, the government presented a budget of Rs 6.90 lakh crore. At present, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 255 MLAs, while there are 108 Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs, 13 Apna Dal MLAs, nine RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samata Party) MLAs, six Nishad Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party MLAs each, two Congress and Jan Satta Party MLAs, and one BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) MLA in the state Assembly.
An opportunity to partake
In the meeting at the Assembly building, Speaker Satish Mahana emphasised that the UP Legislative Assembly is the largest in the country. “The functioning of the Legislative Assembly sets an ideal example for legislative bodies across the country,” Mahana said. “All legislators from every party should maintain decorum and parliamentary etiquette while presenting their perspectives in the house,” he added. “Debates should take place in a disciplined and dignified atmosphere.” He mentioned that this time, legislators who had not yet spoken in the Assembly would get the opportunity to speak first.
Mahana also encouraged all party leaders to engage in discussions in a respectful environment, similar to the support received during previous sessions. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna also assured the leaders that the government would work diligently to advance development with utmost seriousness.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was present during meeting, remarked that “new practices” are being implemented in the Legislative Assembly. “Such practices,” the CM said “have not been observed in any other legislative Assembly in the country.” He further urged all party leaders to create lists of their respective legislators and provide them with the opportunity to speak.
Meanwhile, Opposition leaders expressed their displeasure over the fact that the session was called only for five days and pushed for the session to be extended. Manoj Pandey, chief spokesperson of the SP, claimed legislators do not get enough time to express their views in a short session and asked for the session to be prolonged.
Urged to respond with restraint
During a meeting of BJP legislators at Lok Bhavan, CM Yogi stated that all legislators should be present in maximum numbers during the session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Khanna also said that legislators should express their opinions but do so using restrained language and added that BJP legislators have greater responsibilities.
