Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 3 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday called for discussions on issues of the poor, youth, farmers and women during the Monsoon Session of the Legislative Assembly.
Speaking to reporters on the first day of the Assembly Session, CM Yogi hit back at the Samajwadi Party (SP) for raising the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement issue, stating that they obstructed the construction of the temple.
Adityanath noted the legislature as a crucial platform for discussing and resolving the issues faced by the people of the state. He noted that the month of Shravan was significant for farmers, for students with reference to admissions, and for Kanwar Yatra.
The Chief Minister said, "The Monsoon Session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly will begin today. I welcome all the MLAs. This is an important session for us. The legislature serves as a crucial medium for conveying the voice of the people to the government and administration. The legislature is the best platform to discuss and review issues concerning the poor, farmers, the youth, and women, and to bring them to a resolution."
"Each MLA can present the issues of their constituencies and the government can resolve them. Better use of the platform is the primary objective of the BJP-led NDA government, and the double engine government is working towards it," he added.
Highlighting the works done by the BJP government in the state, he added, "In the last nine years, by reviewing the issues raised by public representatives during this dialogue and formulating plans based on them, we have been able to make efforts to bring about improvements in the state. We have been successful in changing the perception of Uttar Pradesh. We got an opportunity to lift Uttar Pradesh from a BIMARU status to making it a revenue surplus state, which has achieved an economic breakthrough. The aim is to ensure the best use of the House's time and to provide an opportunity to raise issues concerning every assembly constituency on the floor of the House and facilitate discussions on them."
Yogi Adityanath called for a discussion on the government's welfare measures for the youth, women, farmers and the poor.
"Better would be to discuss the government's steps for welfare of youth, safety and security of women, bringing change in the lives of farmers and welfare schemes for the poor. The legislature is the centre for change. Here we draft policies and hold discussions. This month is significant for farmers, for students with reference to admissions, and for Kanwar Yatra. I extend my greetings to all these communities," he said.
While SP MLAs held a protest outside the Assembly over the Ram Temple donation embezzlement, Yogi said, "(they) haven't contributed a single penny from their own pockets towards temple construction." He also claimed that the sugarcane dues remained unpaid for up to 10 years under Samajwadi Party's tenure.
He said, "Those under whose tenure the interests of farmers were dealt a severe blow; those who denied farmers water--specifically water for their fields--in Uttar Pradesh. By speaking about farmers now, they are merely rubbing salt into their wounds. In contrast, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana have been implemented for these farmers. During the Samajwadi Party's tenure, sugarcane dues remained unpaid for up to ten years. Instead of protecting the farmers' interests, they drove them to the point of suicide and forced migration. Their tube wells were not secure."
"The very people raising the Ayodhya issue are the ones who fired upon Ram devotees and tried to obstruct the entire process of the Shri Ram Temple's construction by deploying an army of lawyers in court. Those who speak of the theft of donations for the Ram Temple are the very people who haven't contributed a single penny from their own pockets towards its construction," he added.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly Session began today, and according to Speaker Satish Mahana, the state government will present a supplementary budget to provide additional allocations for welfare schemes and expenditure heads that have emerged after the passage of the annual Budget. The session will end on August 6.
The Ram Temple donation theft controversy is expected to be raised in the House as well. Along with the Ram Mandir row, Earlier Samajwadi Party legislators protested over the NEET-UG paper leak, power supply issues, and fertiliser shortages.