The Budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly is expected to have a stormy start on Thursday with the Opposition parties gearing up to corner the Akhilesh Yadav Government on the deteriorating power and law and order situation.
The month-long session will see the State Budget for 2014-2015 being presented on June 20 by the Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav who also holds the Finance portfolio.
The Bharatiya Janata Party made its intentions clear by boycotting the customary all-party meeting convened on Wednesday by the Assembly Speaker, Mata Prasad Pandey, for smooth conduct of the Budget session. The meeting was attended by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, the Leader of Opposition, Swami Prasad Maurya and leaders of Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal legislature parties. The Backward Classes Development Minister, Ambika Chaudhary was also present.
The BJP, which now sees itself as the principal Opposition party following its runaway victory in the recent Lok Sabha elections, has been critical of the Samajwadi Party Government’s failure to control the law and order situation.
The party has also taken the Government to task on the continuing power crisis. Frequent electricity cuts have led to protests in several cities and towns. The president of the party’s State unit, Laxmikant Bajpai, said on Wednesday that the CM also held the Home and Energy portfolios and hence responsible for the situation. He also questioned the logic behind frequent transfer of administrative and police officials.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has said on record that “jungle raj” prevailed in the State. She has also demanded dismissal of the Akhilesh Yadav government and imposition of President’s rule in the State.
The Budget session will end on July 18. The focus obviously will be on the Budget to be presented on Friday and on the financial allocation for some of the populist measures introduced by the Government in 2012 which failed to yield any political dividends for the ruling party in the Lok Sabha elections. Among them is the much-hyped laptop distribution scheme.
