Opposition walks out of UP Assembly over law and order

Opposition parties staged a walkout in the Uttar PradesH Legislative Assembly today after expressing dissatisfaction over the government's reply regarding the law-and-order situation in the state.

The matter came up in the Zero Hour through an adjournment notice moved by Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary, who presented statistics to allege that the law and order had worsened ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the state.

Demanding a debate, Chaudhary said the police was not arresting the real culprits, but nabbing those who used to indulge in such acts in the past and eliminating them in encounters.

Lalji Verma, the BSP leader in the House, said there had been a manifold increase not only in crime, but also in cases of corruption, specially in the police set-up. Criminals are getting patronage of the government, Verma charged, demanding a five-hour debate on the issue.

Congress leader Ajay Singh Lallu termed the government a failure on the law-and-order front and cited various cases.

In his reply, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna denied that the government had promised crime would be zero and highlighted statistics to show an overall fall in the crime rate, barring dowry deaths.

Prompt action is taken in all the criminal cases, Khanna said, claiming that the encounters had not been planned anywhere and police had to open fire on "criminals who fire at them".

On the Deoria shelter home case, Khanna said it got recognition in 2012 and "everyone is aware as to who was in power at that time". Stressing that there was no intention to save anyone in the case, the minister said a CBI inquiry had already been recommended.

But dissatisfied over the reply, the SP, BSP and Congress MLAs staged a walkout.