UP Assembly’s three-day monsoon session started Thursday with coronavirus protocol in place.
Lucknow:
The Uttar Pradesh state assembly passed within minutes several important bills without discussion amid protest and sloganeering by the Opposition parties.
Among the bills passed were the UP Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Properties Bill-2020 – introduced as an ordinance after widespread damage to public and private property amid anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests -, UP Public Health and Epidemic Disease Control Bill-2020 and Cow-Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Bill-2020.
The House took up its agenda amid protests by Opposition members who entered the Well with banners and raised slogans against the state of law and order, handling of the coronavirus pandemic and floods in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked the Opposition for being “bereft” of issues and “trying to mislead” people.
In a reference to the Gandhis, the Chief Minister said those who have ruined Delhi, now wish to speak about UP. “Rome ki bhasha bolne wale log Ram-Ram chilate hain Ayodhya ka vikas karenge? (Those who do not speak the language of the land but mouth the name of Ram will develop Ayodhya?),” he said.
“We need to present Ayodhya to the world like the Kumbh. It is possible to postpone the celebrations; people are cooperating,” he said, indicating that next year’s Kumbh Mela, which is supposed to be held in Haridwar, could be rescheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state.
The short monsoon session, which was scheduled to continue till Monday, was adjourned sine die.
The three-day session was also adjourned on Friday to mourn the death of a sitting MLA from Deoria, and on Thursday after members condoled the death of former members Vivek Singh and Kunwar Bahadur Misra.
(With inputs from Agencies)
