Opposition wants UP CM's remarks expunged

Lucknow: Opposition parties in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, on Thursday, accused chief minister Yogi Adityanath of using ‘unparliamentary language’ against them in his speech on Wednesday and demanded that the remarks should be expunged from the proceedings.

The opposition members wore black bands on their arms as a mark of protest. As soon as the house convened for the day, leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary raised the issue and alleged that unparliamentary language was used by the chief minister in his reply on the state’s supplementary budget on Wednesday.

Mr Chaudhary said that the remark, in which the chief minister had compared some political leaders to snakes, was against the dignity of the state Legislature and should be expunged from the proceedings. He cited the recent example of Parliament where some remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also been expunged.

Congress Legislature party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu alleged that the chief minister’s remarks had belittled the dignity of the office he holds.

BSP MLA Lalji Varma said that during budgetary debates, speeches should be restricted to the subject under discussion.

SP member Parasnath Yadav said that despite being a ‘yogi’, the chief minister made statements in the House that deserved to be expunged.

Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, however, said that there was nothing undignified or unparliamentary in the speech made by the chief minister. “It is normal for political leaders to use proverbs and give examples but the chief minister did not take any names”, he added.

Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit said he would discuss the issue with the minister and said that ruling in the matter was being reserved.

It may be recalled that while speaking on the supplementary budget on Wednesday, the chief minister had taken a dig at the opposition parties and said, “A sort of ‘Chipko’ movement is taking place  in the state. The BSP says it maintains distance with the SP but we do not know how much distance they have kept. They should know that a snake remains a snake and will always bite”.

The opposition was not present in the assembly when the chief minister gave his speech.