Governor's speech missed important issues: Oppn

Lucknow, Jan 18: The Opposition in Uttar Pradesh today criticised Governor T V Rajeswar's address to the joint session of the state legislature claiming that important issues like law and order, scams and corruption were missing in his speech.

The BJP also alleged that the Governor did not want to read the speech, hence he ended it with reading the first line and the customary ''Jai Hind''.

However, the Congress, which formally withdrew support from the government this morning, and the BJP traded charges against each other on the issue of bringing the no-confidence motion against the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.

Earlier, there was pandemonium in the House during the Governor's address with the BJP, BSP, RLD and even the Congress members raising anti-government slogans.

Addressing the media after the Governor's address, Leader of the Opposition and BJP legislature party leader Lalji Tandon said the ''body language of the Governor'' projected that he did not want to read out the address.

Mr Tandon charged that the speech mentioned the achievements of the outgoing government only and tried to ''hush up'' all the lapses of the state government.

''How can the Governor read out the address when he himself charged the state government with irregularities from time to time,'' the BJP leader said.

Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) legislature party leader Swami Prasad Maurya said the speech, before the assembly elections in the state, was an ''illegal move'' by the present government.

''Nithari case was an example of the insensitivity of the state government and the Governor should not take a minute to dismiss the inefficient Mulayam government,'' Mr Maurya added.

However, Congress legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari said they have proposed an amendment in the Governor's address. He also accused the BJP of helping set up the Mulayam government in 2003.

''Had not the then speaker Keshri Nath Tripathi of the BJP approved the split in BSP in an illegal way, the present government could not have been formed,'' he claimed.

Rashitriya Lok Dal leader Munna Singh Chauhan said they have withdrawn support from the government and opposed the Governor's address.

Meanwhile, state parliamentary affairs minister Mohammad Azam Khan claimed that the government enjoys full majority in the House even after withdrawl of support by the Congress and RLD.

''We are prepared for the confidence vote in the House and it would be brought when required,'' he said.

UNI