UP Budget Session: Opposition protests, Governor cuts short speech, highlights Kumbh, women schemes, infra

The SP members were protesting on a range of issues – from demanding release of the list of Maha Kumbh stampede victims to proper MSP for farmers. As the Opposition members continued to raise slogans, the Governor only read a portion of her speech, concluding the entire speech of over 40 pages in just 8.35 minutes.

Governor Patel began her speech on how “Maha Kumbh” reinforced the vision of “Ek Bharat, Shreshta Bharat” and expressed condolence over the death of people during the January 29 stampede at Maha Kumbh in which at least 30 people were killed.

“This year, my government has had the honour of organising the divine and grand Maha Kumbh. Mahakumbh 2025 has set new benchmarks in cleanliness, security, and seamless management. The event beautifully showcases a remarkable blend of faith and modernity. While it symbolizes unity in diversity, it also conveys a message of equality and harmony, reinforcing the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’,” the Governor said.

“So far, over 53 crore devotees have taken a sacred dip in the holy Triveni,” she added.

“However, we are all deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident on Mauni Amavasya, in which some devotees were seriously injured, and a few tragically lost their lives. I extend my humble tribute to these pious souls who departed untimely and express my heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families,” she said.

With Samajwadi Party legislators continuing to drown the Governor’s voice with slogans, Patel read only a portion of her address and left the House. Later in the day, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said the Governor cut short her address as she too felt that the speech prepared by the government was “full of lies”.

“The Governor’s address, prepared by the government, was full of lies. That is why the SP legislators were asking her to stop reading it. Even the Governor knew that it was full of lies and that is why she decided to listen to SP legislators and read only a portion of it.”

Congress Legislative Party leader Aradhana Mishra also echoed Yadav. “She (Governor Patel) read only the first and the last page of her address as even she knows that the address is full of lies. We are demanding the Government to release the list of victims but they are not. As per reports, there are many unclaimed vehicles still parked at the Kumbh parkings. The public wants to know the truth and actual numbers and therefore the Opposition is raising the same, but the Government wants to divert attention,” Mishra said.

In her address, which was later considered as read in the Assembly, the Governor spoke about initiatives taken by the Yogi Adityanath-led government for women empowerment, expressways, and development of religious places. “Uttar Pradesh has secured the top position in organising religious, spiritual and cultural events, as well as attracting tourists, in the country,” the Governor’s speech stated.

The Governor’s speech mentioned how construction of a Bhajan Sandhya Sthal, worth Rs 23.09 crore in Prayagraj, beautification of Vindhyavasini Temple and other temples in the Trikoni area are nearing completion. Similarly, in Kushinagar, a Budha Theme Project is in progress.

On women empowerment, the Governor’s mentioned construction of Citizen Information Boards (CIB) at MGNREGA sites by women self-help groups. “In 2023-24 financial year, over 5,000 women from more than 1,100 self-help groups (SHGs) produced over 5 lakh CIB boards. In the current financial year, 5,465 women have already prepared around 3.76 lakh boards,” the speech mentioned.

The speech said that under Vidyut Sakhi Yojana, women self-help groups collected Rs 790 crore in electricity bills in 2024-25, helping the women earn Rs 3.5 crore in commission by collecting Rs 303 crore under the OTS scheme.

The speech stated that the government has set a target to train 10,000 Krishi Sakhis, of which 8,157 have already completed their training. In the speech, it was stated that 21,655 FIRs were registered since 2017 taking cognizance of public complaints received on X, previously Twitter.

Talking about the Government’s commitment to maintaining peace and stability, the Governor’s speech said: “Under my government, there have been no incidents of communal riots or caste-based conflicts.”

Targeting the previous state governments, the Governor’s address stated: “Before 2017, law and order in the state had collapsed, and people had lost trust in the administration… Under the Yogi government, police modernization and reforms have transformed Uttar Pradesh into a model of effective law enforcement.”

It also stated that besides four expressways — Yamuna, Lucknow-Agra, Purvanchal and Bundelkhand — currently in operation in the state, construction of more expressways like Ganga Expressway, along with Gorakhpur Link expressway and Vindhya Expressway, connecting Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Chandauli and Sonbhadrha, are also underway.

Meanwhile, former chief minister and Samajwadi Party president, Akhilesh Yadav, criticized the Governor’s address, calling it “devoid of truth” and “disappointing”.

He also alleged that the speech ignored the aspirations of common people. In a statement, the SP chief accused the BJP government of mismanagement at the Maha Kumbh, alleging that it falsely labelled the arrangements as grand and divine while neglecting the suffering of devotees.

The SP chief alleged that the Governor’s address had nothing for farmers or unemployed youth. “Educated youngsters are not getting jobs, while the government indulges in statistical gimmicks regarding investment. New industries are not being set up, and existing ones are shutting down.

“Traders and entrepreneurs are fleeing the state. The government has neither increased the price of sugarcane nor cleared farmers’ pending dues. There is complete silence on MSP procurement, and electricity prices remain high,” he added.

-With PTI