Sloganeering, walkout by Opposition during Zero Hour in UP Assembly

Lucknow: Sloganeering and walkout marred the Zero Hour in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday with a determined Opposition trooping into the Well of the House carrying banners and placards.

Despite requests of Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit, Congress and Samajwadi Party legislators trooped into the Well as the Zero Hour began, shouting slogans for the rollback of a recent power tariff hike, among others.

The BSP members, who did not leave their seats, later staged a walkout protesting the government's stand on various issues.

The protesting MLAs led by Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu continued shouting slogans for over half-an-hour while the Speaker completed the business on agenda amid pandemonium, and adjourned the house for the day.

They raised slogans on issues of poor law and order situation, attacks on journalists and corruption.

In the meantime, the speaker also took up an adjournment notice of the Lalji Verma (BSP) on power tariff hike and the parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna gave details of what the government has done on this front and remarked that tariff would have to be paid if power was used.