Lucknow, Dec 17 (PTI) A after she sat on a dharna at the Uttar Pradesh Assembly premises till late night, demanding a probe against "irregularities" in the technical education department, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader and SP MLA Pallavi Patel on Tuesday alleged that despite being promised, she was not allowed to take up the matter in the assembly.
"While lifting my dharna on Monday night, I was assured by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna and principal secretary, Vidhan Sabha, that I will be given a chance on Tuesday, but I was not allowed to speak in the House, citing rules," Patel told reporters.
She also alleged the assembly Speaker was working like an "agent of a party".
Patel sat on a dharna in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue at the Vidhan Sabha premises till late Monday night demanding a probe against allegations of irregularities in the technical education department.
Pallavi is the elder sister of Union Minister Anupriya Patel, whose husband Ashish Patel is the state's technical education minister and against whom there are allegations of irregularities in the department.
It has been alleged that instead of direct recruitment of department heads in the government polytechnic colleges under the technical education department held by Ashish Patel, the lecturers working in colleges have been promoted and made department heads.
It has also been alleged that if the posts were filled through direct recruitment, the candidates from backward and Dalit communities would have benefited from reservation, but they were allegedly deprived.
When asked about her future course of action, Pallavi said that she would chalk out her strategy.
"We want the high court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter, which is of serious nature," she said.
Senior Apna Dal (Soneylal) leader Ashish Patel had earlier alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched to "murder" him politically over reported irregularities in the promotion of teachers.
Patel also said that he would resign from his post without a second's delay the day he receives orders from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Apna Dal (Soneylal) is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
The minister's reaction came amid allegations that more than 100 lecturers in the technical education department were promoted in violation of reservation norms.
In a series of posts on X in Hindi late Sunday night, Patel had said, "Baseless and unfounded allegations are being made in the media and social media as part of a conspiracy to murder me politically. Entire Uttar Pradesh knows how the interests of staff coming from the deprived classes are protected in the technical education department during my tenure as minister."
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