The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party spat over the power situation in Uttar Pradesh led to repeated adjournments and walkout in the state Assembly on Wednesday.
The two parties accused each other of not doing anything to improve the power situation in the state while the BJP blamed both the SP and the BSP of neglecting the power sector. The BSP blamed the BJP for “selling” off Tanda and Unchahar power plants.
The allegations began during Question Hour when questions related to the power sector came up for discussion. Senior SP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav said that 31 power projects were on the anvil and once they were completed, the state will not only meet all its power requirements but will also be in a position to export power.
BSP MLA Ramvir Upadhyay — also a former power minister — wanted to know how many power projects had been approved in the SP regime. SP minister Shivpal Singh fired a counter-salvo, wanting to know what had happened to the five power projects that he had initiated in the SP regime in 2006.
This led to acrimonious scenes between the treasury benches and the Opposition and culminated in a walkout by the BSP.
In a supplementary query, BJP MLA Satish Mahana wanted to know when the 31 power projects will be completed. He said that both the SP and the BSP were equally to blame for the prevailing power crisis in UP.
SP minister Ambica Choudhury said that the maximum loot in the power sector was done during the BSP regime, especially in the purchase of transformers.
Leader of the Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya apparently became furious at this and created history of sorts by barging into the Well of the House to protest against the remark by the minister.