UP Budget Session from Feb 8; Speaker warns MLAs of action if Guv's address disrupted

Lucknow: The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature is set to begin on February 8 with the Governor's address to a joint sitting of both the Houses.

In view of the opposition's protest during the governor's address at the Assembly's first session last year, Speaker H N Dixit had recently warned the MLAs of disciplinary action if they carry out "planned obstructions" during the address.

According to Principal Secretary of the Legislative Assembly Pradeep Kumar Dubey, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has summoned the Vidhan Sabha's first session of this year on February 8.

Naik will address a joint sitting of both the Houses at Vidhan Bhawan to mark the opening of the budget session. The tentative agenda of the Assembly is likely to be issued tomorrow.

The state cabinet, in its last meeting on January 23, had decided to convene the budget session of the Assembly from February 8. The business advisory committee of the two Houses will decide on the number of sittings.

The budget session is likely to see the opposition and Assembly Speaker H N Dixit at loggerheads as he has already stated that members of the House might face disciplinary action if they carry out "planned obstructions" during the address of the Governor.

For nearly two decades it has become a practice for the opposition to disrupt the governor's address.

Last year, in the first session of the present Assembly, the opposition Samajwadi Party had obstructed the Governor's address by raising slogans and throwing paper balls at the podium.

Dixit had recently said that it was the responsibility of the MLAs to maintain discipline inside the Assembly, saying "It is expected that this year they will listen to the Governor's address quietly."

"Bringing banners and posters and blowing whistles... clearly show that such things have been done in a planned manner. So, if anyone takes such (pre-planned) steps (to derail the address), action might be taken," the speaker had said recently.

Last time, apart from throwing paper balls, the opposition members had blown whistles and held up banners to interrupt the address.

The Opposition members had held a 'parallel Assembly' in the central hall of Vidhan Bhawan to protest against the Yogi Adityanath government.