LUCKNOW: High drama unfolded on the streets of the state capital Lucknow on Monday morning -- day one of the UP Assembly’s Monsoon Session -- after Samajwadi Party chief and leader of opposition Akhilesh Yadav was stopped by cops during his'‘Padyatra' to the UP Assembly.
The SP chief along with his MLAs and MLCs had given a call of march from his party office to UP Assembly in Hazratganj area when the Lucknow police stopped them. As the crowd swelled, Akhilesh and the party MLAs squatted on the ground and staged a sit-in protest a few metres from their party office. The SP MLAs carried placards that had slogans against the Yogi government.
The SP leaders had planned the protest march against alleged lawlessness, unemployment and violation of democratic rights under the Yogi government in the state. The senior police officials of Lucknow Police Commissionerate claimed that the SP leaders had not taken permission for the protest march, but were nonetheless assigned a designated route to ward off the traffic snarls.
Once the SP leaders refused to take the route, "We had no option but to stop them midway. Had they taken the designated route, there wouldn’t have been a problem," said Joint CP (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia.
The Samajwadi Party MLAs and MLCs had gathered at the SP headquarters earlier this morning from where they embarked upon the march to the UP Assembly. Later, while staging a sit-in protest, the SP chief slammed the ruling dispensation for the poor state of UP's roads, which had countless potholes.
"Farmers are deprived of basic necessities and they are not getting any benefit from Uttar Pradesh government. Corruption is at its peak and inflation is high. Unemployment is increasing in the state and they are snatching the rights of backward communities. They are selling airports and railways," asserted the SP chief.
"Today, policemen of the Uttar Pradesh government stopped us from conducting the march. The BJP government is not ready to face us. They have failed on every front. They are not even allowing us to enter the Assembly," Akhilesh Yadav went on to add.
Meanwhile, commenting on the march, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told mediapersons, "All the concerns and questions of the opposition party will be resolved during the Monsoon session of the UP Assembly. The Opposition party has the right to raise its issues but in a democratic way. Lawlessness would not be tolerated. The SP should have taken permission from the authorities before carrying out the march. Following law and order is too much of an expectation from Samajwadi Party leaders."
Deputy CM KP Maurya reacted by saying that the "SP's protest is not for the benefit of common people. If they want to discuss this, they are free to do it in the Assembly. Our government is ready for discussions. SP is jobless now, they’ve nothing to do. Such protests will only create problems for people."
The other Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak too claimed that the SP had little goodwill in UP now.
"People have rejected it four times in a row. They have entertained goons, their march will do them no good,” he said.
As the Monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly commenced on Monday, CM Yogi dedicated September 22 as a special day for women MLAs of both the Houses of the state Legislature, the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. The UP Chief Minister made the announcement while addressing members of the BJP and allies on the eve of the Monsoon session.