UP Speaker sends Azam Khan's unedited speech to Guv

Lucknow, March 17: Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey has sent to Raj Bhawan the unedited CD and transcript of senior minister Azam Khan's speech in the state Legislature in which he had allegedly accused Governor Ram Naik of working under the "influence of a party".

The CD along with the edited and unedited transcript was received by Raj Bhawan yesterday and the Governor will go through it before taking any action, if required, a Raj Bhawan official said today. Earlier this month, the Governor had taken a serious note of Khan's hard-hitting remarks against him in the House and written to the Speaker asking him to provide its unedited printed copies and audio and video CD.

The Governor in his letter had said Khan and other members have referred to UP Nagar Nigam Amendment Bill 2015 in the House, which he wanted to "read and see".

Khan has been engaged in a war of words with Naik for some time, with the Samajwadi Party leader accusing him of being a "kar sevak" and "communally vitiating" the atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh at the behest of the Modi government at the Centre. On March 8, the SP leader had said in the House: "A Bill (UP Nagar Nigam Amendment Bill 2015) is pending with the Governor for over one year through which Mayors could be removed for financial irregularities.

The Governor has stalled the Bill giving an impression that he is working under influence of a party." The Bill was not given assent so that mayors could not be punished for their "dishonesty", Khan had alleged.

PTI