The Principle Opposition, Samajwadi Party, created pandemonium in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Thursday forcing an adjournment by demanding immediate announcement of caste census in the state.

As the proceedings of the House began, the SP MLAs demanded the government to conduct a caste census and they sat in the well shouting slogans. When Speaker Satish Mahana could not pacify the SP members, he adjourned the house for 15 minutes.

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Later, while participating in the debate on the thanks motion on the governor’s address in the assembly, Leader of the Opposition and SP president Akhilesh Yadav demanded caste census in UP.

He said without caste census, there cannot be development of all. He asked the government to tell why it was shying away from it. He said that the SP had put forth the demand earlier too and is still in its favour.

Yadav, while attacking the Yogi Government over the just-concluded Global Investor Summit, said people are not interested in the mela organised by the government but the government should be informed as to how much investment has been made so far.

Taking a jibe at the government, he said it seems whoever was wearing suit and tie got the MoU done. “What is the credibility of the MoU, the government should answer,” he further said.

Raising the problem of stray animals, Yadav said that the ministers of the Yogi Government had gone abroad. Has these ministers seen a bull out there on the streets during their visit? Those who talk of investment are not able to clean the city and bulls are even visible on the roads till Lucknow.

The SP president said due to the stray animals on the roads, accidents keep happening and people getting killed. “There is a demand from my government that a compensation of Rs 10 lakh should be given to the families of those killed in road accidents,” he said.

Yadav sarcastically said in the Assembly, “you (the BJP) definitely win the elections but your government has no credibility.”

On this, Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said that the biggest court is the public. The public has made us win again.

Yadav also reminded the BJP government of the promises made in the resolution letter in 2017. He said that the government had promised that by 2022 the income of farmers would be doubled. The government had promised payment to sugarcane farmers in 14 days but these promises were not being fulfilled.

The leader of the Opposition also raised a question on police sending notice to Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore in UP. He said songs were made on me too, there was criticism but we did not send any complaint to the police for anyone.

He said, “I am probably the first chief minister who released a cartoon booklet made on me”.

He concluded by saying, “A cartoon can never be made on you (Yogi) because you are cartoons yourself.”