As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s Budget session began, Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders organized a protest outside the state legislature. They demanded accountability for the tragic deaths during the Maha Kumbh stampede.
During the protest, SP leader Ashutosh Sinha condemned the government and symbolically received the ‘ashes’ of its ethics.
“The Uttar Pradesh government organized the Maha Kumbh, but there was so much mismanagement that many people lost their lives and the government is not even releasing the number of deaths, they give numbers everyday on how many people bathed but can’t give this,” Sinha said.
“We have come here with the asthiya of Sarkar ki netikta (the ashes of government’s ethics) because the ethics of the government are dead. We have got them at the temple of politics here (state legislative assembly),” he further added.
Regarding the upcoming budget session, the SP leader remarked, “The government has looted the people, people have been looted in elections, how they have organized the Maha Kumbh, we are protesting it all.”
“The government had publicized and said so many things about the Maha Kumbh, but today they have completely failed on it. The stampeded which occurred during Mauni Amavasya, the government used to say that it is a digital Kumbh but today the government has still not given the number of deaths which occurred at that time,” Sinha asserted.
SP leader Ravidas Mehrotra voiced concerns about the Governor’s speech, calling it a false praise of the government.
“We will protest during the Governor’s address as she will falsely praise the government. This government used to leak exam papers earlier and now the governor’s speech has also leaked. This government has failed on all fronts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh BJP ministers expressed support for the upcoming budget, calling it a significant step forward.
Cabinet Minister OP Rajbhar described it as the ‘biggest budget till date’, drawing comparisons to the central government’s recent budget.
“This will be the biggest budget till date. The central government presented its budget, which was a budget of prosperity for every section, including farmers, youth, unemployed. Similarly, the budget of the state will also be a budget of prosperity. The state will progress more rapidly on the path of development,” he remarked.
The minister remarked that the opposition’s protest in front of the assembly was simply them ‘doing their job’.
Rajbhar told ANI, “The job of the opposition is to oppose, and the job of the government is to do development work. So let them (opposition) oppose, we are doing our job.”
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, also addressing the media, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to Uttar Pradesh’s progress.
“Today, Vidhan Sabha’s budget session is going to start. Our government is committed to the development of the state. Will discuss various subjects in this session,” he said.
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