Pandemonium in UP assembly over Ambedkar statue desecration

Lucknow, Dec 4 (UNI) Members of the Opposition Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress today raised a din in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly over the desecration of the statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in Kanpur and the overall law and order situation in the state.

The members of the two parties rushed to the Well of the House and hindered the proceedings. While most of the BJP members raised the issue from their benches, some of the party's Dalit members joined the BSP and the Congress in the Well.

The Opposition raised the issue as soon as the house met for the day. Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey asked the members to return to their benches saying, as the Opposition has given notices, they would be given a chance to raise the issue during Zero Hour. But the unrelenting MLAs staged a dharna at the Well, forcing him to adjourn the proceedings till 1220 hrs.

The House also could not take up the Question Hour following the pandemonium.

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and state Revenue minister Ambika Chaudhury charged the Opposition with raking up the issue unnecessarily.

The Congress members led by Jagdambika Pal also raised the issue of harassment of party MLAs from Kanpur Sanjeev Dariabadi and Ajay Kapoor by the district administration following a clash between workers of the Congress and SP recently.

Last night, the state government had suspended Kanpur SSP P C Meena for failing to contain violence following the desecration of Dr Ambedkar's statue. The Circle Officer (CO) of Kakadev and two other constables have already been placed under suspension for trying to implicate a Dalit youth in the case by offering him money.

UNI MB/NAB SB AKJ DS1300