UP House Day 1: Paper balls thrown at Governor

Lucknow: The first session of the state legislature of the Yogi Adityanath government began on a stormy note with several firsts on Monday.

Samajwadi members, whose numbers had been enhanced because of the joint session of the state legislative, threw paper balls at Governor Ram Naik, throughout his 35 minute address to the state legislature.

The marshals had to create a human wall in front of the governor to prevent the paper balls from reaching him. The SP members, donning red caps, blew whistles throughout the speech and shouted slogans against the Yogi government. Therefore, the entire speech was drowned in the uproar.

The governor even deviated from his written speech and said “sara Uttar Pradesh dekh raha hai aapko (the entire UP is watching you)”; the proceedings were telecast for the first time on Doordarshan.

Unfazed, most of the young SP MLAs and MLCs continued to stand on benches and shouted slogans like “Rajyapal aankhen kholo, apradh badha hai, kuchh to bolo”.

BJP MLAs — most of them first timers — did not react to the opposition ruckus. None of the ministers protested at the noisy scene either.

The BSP and Congress MLAs did not join the sloganeering but held aloft banners decrying the Yogi government.

For the first time, the governor ended his speech with “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”. The Vidhan Parishad also witnessed stormy scenes and the Upper House was adjourned in six minutes.

Meanwhile, all eyes were on former CM Akhilesh Yadav, an MLC, who came to attend the joint session and chose to sit with his MLAs instead of the MLCs, though a House guard requested him to sit with the MLCs.

He did not greet the CM or other Opposition leaders. His estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav occupied the seat behind Mr Yadav but the two did not acknowledge each other. Outside the Assembly, there was more drama when one MLA arrived in a bullock cart while another opted for an e-rickshaw.