In a charged atmosphere, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday descended into pandemonium over the contentious issue of reservation adherence in state recruitments. What began as a pointed query in the question hour quickly escalated, prompting a 10-minute adjournment by Speaker Satish Mahana to restore calm.
Triggering the storm was SP legislator Ragini Sonkar’s interrogation of the Yogi government’s handling of SC, ST, and OBC quotas. Highlighting implementation gaps, she sought comprehensive details, charging systemic vagueness that disadvantages marginalized groups.
Responding firmly, Minister Suresh Khanna laid out recruitment stats from April 2017: 47,000 hires including 18,000 general, 2,081 EWS, 9,580 SC, 447 ST, and a substantial 17,295 OBC selections. Unconvinced, Sonkar fired back with follow-ups on exact proportions and enforcement.
Ruling alliance MLAs rising to speak fueled the melee, drowning the house in noise. Mahana admonished the treasury side for meddling in opposition slots and, facing unrelenting din, halted sessions temporarily. Post-resumption, normalcy returned.
Shifting gears, SP’s Sangram Singh Yadav spotlighted the abrupt sacking of 100+ outsourced workers at Azamgarh Medical College, urging regularization for veterans. Labour head Anil Rajbhar rebutted, noting legal barriers but pointing to a protective corporation curbing corporate overreach.
Critics from the opposition slammed murky payroll practices and missing PF contributions. Officials pledged probes and penalties. On a lighter note, Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh updated on seeking central nod for 16-year-olds’ licenses on low-cc electric bikes, awaiting regulatory greenlight.
The day’s tumult reflects entrenched fault lines in UP’s job quota wars, signaling intensified scrutiny ahead in the assembly calendar.