UP budget for 2022-23 will be introduced on May 26: CM Yogi Adityanath, says govt is prepared to discuss issues raised by Assembly members

Welcoming all the elected members, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "The first session of the 18th UP Assembly is starting today. I welcome all the elected members. The state budget for 2022-23 will be introduced on May 26."

Image courtesy: ANI

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday (May 23) said that the Uttar Pradesh budget for 2022-23 will be introduced on May 26, while addressing the media before the first session of the 18th UP Assembly in Lucknow. Yogi welcomed all the elected members, and said, "The first session of the 18th UP Assembly is starting today. I welcome all the elected members. The state budget for 2022-23 will be introduced on May 26. Govt is prepared to discuss the issues which will be raised by members of the Assembly." 

As soon as the Governor entered the Vidhan Sabha, Samajwadi Party and RLD members raised slogans and barged into the well of the house. Holding placards with slogans against the state government on issues like inflation, unemployment and poor law and order, the SP members repeatedly shouted `Go Back` to the Governor who continued with her address.

Lucknow | Samajwadi Party MLAs protest inside the State Assembly against the state govt over various issues

The First session of the 18th UP Assembly commenced today pic.twitter.com/oDKYLrdSI3 — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 23, 2022

For over an hour, the Governor delivered her address and the pandemonium continued. The Governor`s address listed the achievements of the Yogi Adityanath government and also spoke on some of the future projects amid the din.

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who was released from the Sitapur jail on Friday after spending 27 months in judicial custody in dozens of cases, and his son Abdullah Azam Khan took oath as MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

Lucknow | Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan take oath as MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. pic.twitter.com/pYMhpEfWfP — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 23, 2022

Interestingly, for the first time, most of the BJP members came to the House wearing orange caps that provided a perfect foil to the red caps worn by Samajwadi members.

Govt ready for discussion on all issues: Yogi Adityanath 

A day before the commencement of the UP budget session, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that his government is ready for discussion on all issues. Speaking at an all-party meeting held in Lucknow on Sunday, Yogi said, "The people have sent members of the House to the biggest legislative assembly of the country with great faith. I will repeatedly say that you are the 403 special people in whom the 25 crore people of the state have reposed their faith and you should contribute to changing the destiny of the 25 crore people (of the state)."

"The government is ready for discussion on all issues," the Chief Minister said.

Speaker Satish Mahana, who urged the party leaders to put forth their views in the House respectfully while adhering to parliamentary norms, said that discussions should be held in an amicable environment.

Mahana said that Uttar Pradesh has become the first major state to implement the e-Vidhan system in its assembly, adding that members have been allotted seats on the basis of seniority and after holding consultations with party leaders.

According to an official statement, Samajwadi Party leader Indrajit Saroj represented his party at the meeting instead of Leader of Opposition Akhilesh Yadav, while BSP was represented by Uma Shankar Singh, Congress by Aradhana Misra, Rashtriya Lok Dal by Rajpal Baliyan, Apna Dal (Sonelal) by Ram Niwas Verma, Nishad Party by Anil Tripath, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party by Jagdish Narayan Rai and Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) by Raghuraj Pratap Singh.

BSP leader Uma Shankar Singh told PTI that during the meeting, he raised the demand for a longer budget session to allow time for discussions on different issues.

A meeting of SP MLAs, however, was held at the party office in Lucknow. The meeting decided that the budget session should be at least 35-day-long. The budget session should be long so that detailed discussions can be held, the SP said in the statement, adding that the issues pertaining to the common man cannot be discussed in a session lasting five-six days.

(With Agency Inputs)