Opposition behaved in indecent, shameful manner: UP minister

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Shrikant Sharma on Monday attacked opposition parties for behaving in an "indecent" and "shameful" manner on the first day of the state assembly session, and attributed their actions to "frustration".

Opposition members had thrown paper balls at Governor Ram Naik during his address, with marshals trying to dodge them with files. The SP, BSP and Congress members had also created an uproar, drowning out his speech.

"The behaviour of the opposition parties is indecent and shameful. When the governor was addressing the MLAs and MLCs, there was continuous whistling. This is simply an insult to the people of UP. What is more unfortunate is the fact that the pack of those creating disturbance was led by a former UP chief minister," he said.

Slamming the opposition parties, he said: "Those who looted the state for the last 15 years and gave patronage to criminal elements are unable to digest the 50 days of good work done by this government.

"Had socialist ideologue Dr Ram Manohar Lohia been alive, he would had shed tears seeing the antics of the SP MLAs and MLCs," he said.

Sharma reiterated that the government will not bow before the actions of the rival parties.

"No matter what roadblock the opposition parties put up before us, we will not bow down to their pressure. All these actions of the opposition parties (SP, BSP and Congress) can be attributed to frustration, following their drubbing in the UP Assembly elections," he added.