Opposition Party Protests in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Ahead of Monsoon Session

Protests Erupt Before Uttar Pradesh Assembly's Monsoon Session

Lucknow, August 3 - Ahead of the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, members of the main opposition party, the Samajwadi Party (SP), staged a protest on Monday within the assembly premises. They raised various issues, including the alleged theft of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. A significant number of SP members gathered in front of the statue of Chaudhary Charan Singh, holding placards, banners, and posters to voice their concerns.

During the demonstration, the SP members highlighted several issues, such as the reported theft of donations at the Ram Temple, the closure of over 26,000 government schools in the state over the past decade, the leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question paper, and the deteriorating law and order situation.

Some protesters symbolically placed donation boxes labeled 'Chanda Petika' on their heads. SP legislator Ragini Sonkar accused the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'double-engine' government of delivering a gift to the state that resulted in the closure of 26,000 schools by 2026, claiming this has forced 18,000 girls to drop out of education.

Sonkar criticized the BJP government for merely making empty promises and undermining public faith. Another SP legislator, Atul Pradhan, alleged that the BJP and its affiliates committed the 'sin' of stealing donations at the Ram Temple. He mentioned that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had submitted its report on the matter, but no concrete action had been taken.

With donation boxes on their heads, Pradhan stated, 'Today, we have come here to launch a campaign against the donation thieves.' During the protest, some SP members chanted slogans like 'Chanda Choro, Gaddi Chhodo' (Donation Thieves, Leave the Throne). SP member Kamal Akhtar pointed out that unemployment is at an all-time high, question papers are being leaked, youth are facing oppression, farmers are struggling to obtain fertilizers, and the flood situation across Uttar Pradesh is dire, with health services in shambles. He accused the government of evading answers to the public and opposition's questions.

He added, 'We want to raise all these issues in the assembly, but the government is trying to avoid discussion by shortening the session.' The monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly is scheduled to run from August 3 to August 6. This session is likely to be the last before the upcoming state assembly elections. During this period, the state government will present the first supplementary budget for the financial year 2026-27 in both houses of the assembly on August 4.