Lucknow, Sep 21 (PTI) The question hour was washed out in both Houses of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday as SP legislators created a ruckus alleging that senior party MLA Mohammad Azam Khan has been implicated in "false" cases.
Khan, who was released from a Sitapur jail earlier this year after the Supreme Court granted him an interim bail, is facing around 90 cases, including charges of corruption and theft.
Another case was registered against him on Tuesday for stealing the cleaning machine of a municipality and using it for Mohammad Ali Jauhar University established by him.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) members demanded the adjournment of the House proceedings demanding a discussion over the issue and accused the government of harassing Khan and his family.
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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, however, dismissed the charges and claimed that the government will do justice.
As soon as the proceedings started in the Legislative Council at 11, the SP members protested against the government for taking action against Azam Khan by registering "fake" cases.
In the Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition Akhilesh Yadav said Khan is being harassed. Speaker Satish Mahana assured to take up the matter after the question hour.
In the Legislative Council, Chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh told the SP members that the matter can be raised only after the question hour.
Despite this, the SP members kept on protesting.
Leader of the House in the Council, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, said disrupting the question hour is wrong.
SP members came to the middle of the House. The chairman asked them to go to their places and later adjourned the House till 11.30 am.
When the proceedings resumed, the SP members kept demanding a discussion on the issue. They also raised anti-government slogans. On this, the chairman adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon. Thus, the question hour could not take place.
Later, senior Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey raised the issue and demanded that the Assembly proceedings be stopped and a discussion should be held.
Pandey said Khan was falsely accused by the government and put in jail for more than two years. Even after being out on bail, this government is adopting new tactics to harass him, he alleged.
Pandey said Azam Khan is neither a criminal nor a dacoit.
"Azam was kept in a dungeon, the way the British tried to harass their opponents by locking them in a dungeon. If the same process goes on in this democratic system, then it is not right," said Pandey.
Leader of Opposition Akhilesh Yadav and SP members Om Prakash Singh and Lalji Verma raised questions on the intention of the government.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said, "We deny any allegation of harassing anyone in any way on behalf of the government. Whatever cases have been registered are lodged on the basis of complaints and the investigation is underway."
He said his government wants justice at every level. "This government will do justice to everyone and justice will also be done to the honourable member," said Khanna.
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