Lucknow, August 4: The first day of the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council witnessed intense exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition over alleged misappropriation of donations for the Ram Temple. Members of the Samajwadi Party (SP) accused the government of failing to conduct a fair investigation, leading to uproar as they shouted slogans from the well of the house. In response, Leader of the House and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya accused the SP of inciting violence against devotees.
Due to the continuous disruptions, the chairman had to suspend the proceedings first for 15 minutes and then for another 20 minutes. The session commenced with the singing of ‘Vande Mataram.’ Following this, Chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh read a condolence motion for the late former member Jai Prakash Chaturvedi, after which the house observed two minutes of silence in his memory.
During the zero hour, SP members including Lal Bihari Yadav, Rajendra Chaudhary, Dr. Man Singh Yadav, Mukul Yadav, Ashutosh Sinha, Balram Yadav, Mohammad Jameer Ansari, Shahnawaz Khan, and Shah Alam raised the issue of alleged financial irregularities related to donations for the Ram Temple through a suspension of business motion.
The opposition claimed that the government failed to ensure a fair investigation into a matter that concerns the faith of millions of devotees, alleging that only low-level actions were taken to suppress the issue. Responding to the allegations, Deputy Chief Minister Maurya stated that the grand temple of Ram Lalla was built after a struggle of over 500 years and is a matter of pride for millions of devotees.
He asserted that a party that has previously incited violence against devotees has no moral right to speak on the temple issue. Maurya claimed that the public would respond to the Samajwadi Party in the upcoming elections.
As Maurya spoke, SP members reached the well of the house chanting slogans like “Chanda Chor Gaddi Chhod” (Donation Thief, Leave the Chair), leading to significant noise in the assembly. With the situation remaining tense, the chairman suspended the proceedings again for 15 minutes and then for another 20 minutes. Even after the session resumed, the uproar continued.
Meanwhile, BJP member Dr. Vijay Bahadur Pathak proposed a motion under Rule 59 to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the inclusion of Sarnath in the UNESCO World Heritage List, calling it a historic achievement for the cultural heritage of Uttar Pradesh and the nation.
Dr. Pathak also raised the issue of pending cases in the state’s revenue courts under Rule 115, advocating for the establishment of a “Revenue Public Court” similar to Lok Adalats. He highlighted that millions of cases related to land disputes, such as name changes, partition, demarcation, and eviction, have been pending for years, causing distress to farmers and the poor, with many land disputes posing a law and order challenge.
He warned that without timely and effective action, the risk of major accidents in the future cannot be ruled out. Under the suspension of business motion, independent members Raj Bahadur Singh Chandel and Dr. Akash Agarwal raised the issue of providing cashless medical benefits to non-teaching staff of aided secondary schools and retired teachers.
In response, Deputy Chief Minister Maurya stated that the government is positive about the issue and will seek a solution after discussing it with the Chief Minister. However, this topic also sparked a heated debate and exchange of accusations between the ruling party and the opposition.
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