Chaos on first day of UP Assembly's budget session

Lucknow: The opening day of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly's budget session plunged into chaos on Thursday as opposition lawmakers raised slogans, waved anti-government banners and protested near the Speaker's podium. Legislators of the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) demonstrated in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the Assembly premises, alleging that the Yogi Adityanath government was anti-poor and anti-farmer. The ruckus was in contrast to statements made by opposition leaders at an all-party meet on Wednesday where they assured Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit of full cooperation. But as soon as the House convened and Governor Ram Naik started his address, protests rose from the opposition benches. Talking to reporters earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ram Govind Chowdhary said that there was a total breakdown of the law and order machinery in the state and alleged that minorities were being heckled and targeted in a systematic manner. "The manner in which Muslims are being targeted in Kasganj will not be tolerated and the SP will oppose all such acts," he added. Opposition leaders also alleged that fake encounters were taking place in the state and the police had been given a free run by Adityanath.