Legislators of the Samajwadi Party, the main opposition party in the state legislature, reached Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhawan on tractors and bicycles, while some of them entered the highly secured building with petrol and diesel bottles, managing to evade the tight security arrangements.
They were protesting against the government's inability to attend to farmers’ problems and check the sharp rise in diesel and petrol prices, which touched the Rs-100 mark. Later, when security personnel intervened, they sat on a dharna at Chowdhary Charan Singh statue within the Vidhan Bhawan complex and raised slogans against the government.
The Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha, Ram Govind Chowdhary, said that the party legislators will raise these issues during the budget session. “Farmers are agitating for the past 85 days, but instead of holding talks with them, false cases are being slapped on them,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, about half a dozen rebel BSP MLAs met the Speaker H N Dixit and demanded separate seating arrangements in the Vidhan Sabha. They were earlier expelled by BSP chief Mayawati for cross-voting during Rajya Sabha polls. They have threatened to cause a split in the party and form a separate group.
