Gov agrees to address joint session of UP legislature

Lucknow, Jan 12 (UNI) The stalemate between the Uttar Pradesh government and the Raj Bhawan ended this evening after Governor T V Rajeswar agreed to address a joint session of the state legislature on January 18.

Earlier today, the Mulayam Singh Yadav government had decided to convene the assembly from January 18 for the winter session, during which it will seek a vote of confidence after a joint address by the Governor.

Mr Yadav met the Governor at the Raj Bhawan this noon and was closeted with him for about 45 minutes, during which he conveyed to him the cabinet decision this morning to hold a fresh assembly session.

A note from principal secretary, legislative assembly A N Mittal said the Governor has summoned the joint session of the legislature at 1100 hrs on January 18.

Talking to mediapersons outside the Raj Bhawan, the Chief Minister said the Governor had accepted his invitation to address the joint session of the house on January 18.

''We had a good talk,'' he said, adding discussions was cordial.

Ruling out any other political reason for his meeting with the Governor, Mr Yadav said he had only met Mr Rajeswar to invite him for addressing the joint session of the state legislature.

The decision to hold a fresh assembly session -- which came barely a few hours after the government averted a showdown with the Raj Bhawan by deciding not to reconvene the monsoon session on January 15 after Governor T V Rajeswar prorogued it -- was taken at a meeting of the cabinet this morning.

The session will begin by an address of the Governor to a joint session of the UP legislature and then there will a debate on the Motion of Thanks, followed by a vote of confidence. The government is also expected to announce some sops in view of the coming Assembly polls.

This morning's cabinet meeting was the fifth in the last 60 hours and came just 12 hours after the meeting last night, where it was decided to withdraw the decision taken on January 9 to reconvene the monsoon session from January 15 to seek a vote of confidence following the RLD's decision to snap ties with the government.

Emerging out of the meeting last night, the Chief Minister said it was decided to withdraw the January 9 decision to reconvene the monsoon session, which was adjourned sine die on December 15 after approving the vote-on-account for the first four months of the next financial.

The monsoon session started on August 21 last and had only 14 sittings.

Political developments started after Ajit Singh withdrew his three RLD ministers from the ruling dispensation over cane prices.

Even as the cabinet decided to reconvene the assembly, the Governor gave his assent to prorogue the House on the decision of the cabinet taken on January 3.

On January 10, the government held two cabinet meetings one on a regular basis, while another an emergency one in the evening, to endorse reconvening of the monsoon session.

Much political heat was generated in the last three days after the ruling party charged the Governor with acting beyond his constitutional powers, and ''conspiring to create a ''constitutional crisis in UP''.

UNI