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UP assembly in turmoil over Padrauna firing

Unlike the opening day of the special six-day session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Thursday, which opened and concluded with obituary references, the second day was not only eventful but also tumultuous.

The entire opposition was up in arms against the state administration's decision to order firing on sugar mill workers and cane growers in Padrauna in eastern UP on August 29 last that left three persons dead.

As soon as the House assembled at 1100 hours (IST) on Friday morning, members from the opposition benches flayed the government for what they termed as its 'anti-farmer, anti- worker' policies. Some demanded discussion on the recent communal clashes in Mau.

Slogan-shouting members stormed into the well of the House and threatened to block proceedings. Speaker Keshri Nath Tripathi's appeals for restoration of order fell on deaf ears leaving him with no option but to adjourn the house up to 1330 hours.

When the House reassembled, members decided to raise only the Padrauna firing issue.

Leader of the Opposition Dhani Ram Verma (Samajwadi Party) attacked the government for 'the barbaric firing on peacefully demonstrating workers and cane growers'. Describing the current probe as 'just a wishy-washy affair', he demanded an inquiry into the firing by a sitting judge of the high court.

R P N Singh, the Congress legislator from Padrauna said, "The demonstrators were rightfully demanding payment of their dues when a ham-handed administration decided to mow them down with bullets." He demanded that the officials responsible for the firing be charged for murder and tried under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

"The state government's apathy was made apparent by the fact that neither the chief minister nor the minister for cane development and sugar industries bothered to visit Padrauna after the incident," Singh pointed out.

The sugar-mill owner, he alleged, had allowed the cane growers' dues to mount to Rs 180 million and salary dues to mount to Rs. 30 million. He demanded compensation of Rs one million for each of those killed in the firing and Rs 100,000 for the injured.

Bahujan Samaj Party member Swami Prasad Maurya sought to know 'how many sugar mills had been closed down and how many sold away to favourites for a song during the Bharatiya Janata Party regime'.

Finally, Sugar Industries Minister N K S Gaur explained that the mill, which had gone to the Board for Industrial and Financial Restructuring, went into private hands. Gaur refrained from making any mention about who the owner was and even shied away from blaming him for the workers' and cane growers' problems.

The entire opposition, barring the Bahujan Samaj Party, staged a walk-out at about 1700 hours after the speaker refused to entertain any of its demands. BSP members continued to raise anti-government slogans until the House was adjourned for the day.

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