Oppn holds ‘mock assembly’

LUCKNOW: The Opposition organised a mock assembly session in the central hall of Vidhan Sabha here on Monday, the third consecutive day of their boycott of the ongoing budget session.

The Opposition is protesting against the alleged threatening language used by chief minister Yogi Adityanath while replying during the debate on general budget, on Wednesday last.

This was the first time that separate condolence meetings were held – one in the assembly and the other (mock assembly) outside to mourn the death of BJP member Mathura Prasad Pal.

Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit called the situation unfortunate and said the Opposition members should not have organised the mock assembly when a condolence was held in the house. “In a parliamentary democracy, the assembly is the only alternative to the assembly,” said Dixit.

A scrutiny of digitised assembly proceedings revealed that the entire Opposition boycotted the house earlier on April 18, 1984.

The Opposition members, however, differ on the mock assembly issue with many calling the prevailing situation unprecedented, while others saying the Opposition had organized a mock assembly during Kalyan Singh’s tenure as state CM in the 1990s. “Yes, I am told the Opposition had organized a mock assembly during the tenure of Kalyan Singh as CM in 1990s,” said Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu, who played leader of the house (in place of CM Yogi Adityanath) in the mock assembly.

THE OPPOSITION IS PROTESTING AGAINST THE ALLEGED THREATENING LANGUAGE USED BY THE CM DURING A DEBATE ON GENERAL BUDGET

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Ram Govind Chaudhary, however, remained the LoP in the mock assembly while BSP leader Lalji Verma played the speaker in place of assembly Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit. Lallu moved a resolution to mourn the death of Pal. Chaudhary and BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh spoke on the resolution. The members also observed two-minute silence for Pal. Verma later declared the mock assembly adjourned till July 26. Asked about Wednesday’s agenda, Verma said the business advisory committee of the mock house would decide the same in the morning of July 26.

Later speaking to media persons Chaudhary targeted Yogi and said it was unfortunate that minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna had to move the condolence resolution in the state assembly in the absence of Yogi. The chief minister should have come to the house to move the condolence resolution as has been the practice, said Chaudhary.