Azam Khan attacks UP governor in assembly, BJP protests

The face-off between the Raj Bhawan and Uttar Pradesh government found echo in the state assembly on Wednesday when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan attacked Governor Ram Naik for being "biased against the government".

Speaking in the state assembly, Khan said it was a matter of "great pain" that while the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill had been passed in both houses, the governor had refused to give his consent to it.

The BJP legislators opposed the minister and rued that the governor was being dragged and discussed in the House.

The minister, known for his proximity to the Samjwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his vitriolic comments, however, continued with his barbs and kept up with his tirade against Naik.

Alleging bias, Khan went on to say that the Raj Bhawan should be "secular" and added that if the governor had any queries on the matter, he should have sent a note to him rather than keep the legislation hanging.

Citing rules, leader of the BJP legislature party Suresh Khanna retorted by saying that the governor cannot be discussed in the House and it was unbecoming of the minister to attack the governor.

He was rebuffed by state minister Ambika Chowdhary who said the Raj Bhawan should work within the constitutional framework.

Khan then said that while he conceded that the Raj Bhawan should not be discussed in the House, the occupant of the Raj Bhawan should also act fairly and not like the British. "In any case, I am only expressing my anguish on the matter," the minister added.

Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey sided with Khan and said he would get the records examined and in case anything was found derogatory it would be struck off.