Oppn walks out over farmer suicides, attacks on police

Responding to a question by Khanna, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan informed the House that 622 incidents of attack on policemen took place in the state between March 15, 2012 and September 2014. Cases were registered in all these incidents and legal action initiated against 3,936 people.

[related-post]

To a supplementary question by Khanna about steps taken to curb such incidents and details of cases in which SP workers had attacked policemen, Azam said efforts are on to reduce such incidents.

Maurya, in a supplementary question, demanded to know about the number of policemen who have lost their lives in these attacks. Azam, who countered by saying that the number of cases appear to be on the rise as such cases were not registered during the BSP regime, had no reply to Maurya’s question and told the House that information will be provided.

Maurya, however, seized the opportunity of cornering the state government and claimed that nearly 200 policemen have been killed in the attacks, and then staged a walkout from the Assembly joined in by other party members.
Azam condemned the walkout, calling it an “insult” to the policemen’s “martyrdom”. He said members should show sympathy and not insult their martyrdom.

Khanna held the SP government responsible for the politicisation of police force. “We salute the martyrdom of policemen. But the SP workers have attacked them and this is not possible without political shelter,” he alleged and staged a walkout with party members from the Assembly.

Azam Khan claimed that such incidents should not be seen from political angle. “I have the political figures on such incidents but will not reveal them in the House,” he said.

Later, during the Zero Hour, BJP legislators yet again staged a walkout after maintaining a long silence on Azam’s comment on Land Acquisition Bill. They protested against the losses farmers suffered because of the untimely rain and hailstorm.

Speaking on the admissibility of his adjournment notice during the Zero Hour, Khanna said that as many as nine farmers have committed suicide on account of the loss they suffered. He demanded that norms should be relaxed for providing relief to them. BJP’s Radha Mohan Das Agrawal said that eastern UP should be surveyed on different norms as under the present format, none of the farmers will be eligible for compensation. He also demanded that untimely rain, too, be treated as natural calamity. Aggrawal suggested the state government to write a letter to Union Agriculture Minister (Radha Mohan Singh) who has assured relief to such farmers. He also said that steps should be taken to get norms for wheat purchase relaxed from Government of India in wake of the present crisis.

Replying to the adjournment notice, Azam said that a report regarding announcement of relief to farmers on humanitarian grounds will be placed before Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Unsatisfied with the response, BJP members walked out even as Azam said they are not accepting Government of India’s policy for Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and hence are staging the walkout.

Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey, however, rejected the adjournment notice.