Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly today witnessed a verbal clash after a Congress leader made certain remarks against the BJP in the context of yesterday’s ruckus after which the ruling side demanded an apology from him.
The face-off took place after Pankaj Singh of the BJP raised the question of propriety while referring to yesterday’s incident when the opposition members threw paper balls at Governor Ram Naik during his customary address to the joint sitting of the Legislative Assembly and the Council.
Congress legislature party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu then said there had been opposition to the governor’s address in the past too when the BJP was on the other side of the fence.
He made a remark to which the BJP took strong objection and demanded its withdrawal and apology from the member.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Khanna insisted that the House will not settle for anything less than Lallu’s apology to the House.
Unruly scenes marked by sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches continued for some time.
Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary was heard remarking that the House will not function under anyone’s pressure.
Lallu later relented, saying whatever he had said was to emphasise that protests have been held during the governor’s address in the past also and he did not intend to harm anyone.
“If there is anything wrong in my remark, I withdraw it,” he said.
Interestingly, Chaudhary made light of the paper balls being thrown at the governor.
He said through the paper balls, the members were trying to convey to the governor their messages which they had brought in writing as the marshals had surrounded Naik and the Opposition MLAs and MLCs were not allowed to reach him.
Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit said the matter raised through the question of propriety is a serious one.
“I reserve my ruling on the issue and will pronounce it in the House later,” Dixit added.
—PTI