Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party, on Monday, stalled the entire question hour in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on the issue of threats to party president Akhilesh Yadav.
As soon as the House met for the day, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary raised the issue, demanding immediate discussion on the matter, but Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit disallowed it.
SP members raised slogans after which the house proceedings were adjourned.
Akhilesh Yadav had recently claimed that he had received a threat call and a message from a BJP leader after a youth shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at one of the gatherings he was addressing.
The SP president had made the claim while addressing a function at his party office in Kannauj on Saturday.
“There is a threat to my life from a BJP leader. I have received a threat call and a message from him. I have saved the message in my phone and will address the media soon,” he had said.
When the house reassembled, leader of opposition and senior SP MLA, Ram Govind Chaudhary, said that the security of SP president was a matter of concern.
“The BJP is afraid of his growing popularity and some BJP supporters are giving him threats. The Supreme Court has also spoken on the issue of criminalisation of politics and if any harm comes to Akhilesh Yadav, SP workers will not remain quiet,” he said.
Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna said that 182 security personnel had been deployed in the security of Akhilesh Yadav.
The minister termed the incident of a man shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as “trivial” and said a small incident was being deliberately blown up by SP leaders.
SP members staged a walkout in protest.
Immediately after, BSP MLA Lalji Varma raised the issue of Dalit houses being burnt in Mangta village in Kanpur Dehat where clashes took place after a youth tore the poster of Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath intervened in the matter and accused the opposition of deriving political mileage into the matter.
He said that the incident was a result of a local dispute and action had been taken in the matter.
The BSP and the Congress staged a walkout in protest against the reply of the government.
