Parties gang up to take on SP govt

Senior leaders of the BSP, Congress, BJP, Rashtriya Lok Dal met to draw a common strategy to take on the government on the floor of the House during the winter session that began today. While one meeting was held at the office of the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Swami Prasad Maurya, the other took place in the office of Leader of Opposition in the Council, Naseemuddin Siddiqui. OP Sharma of the Teachers Group and Independent Council member Chet Narain Singh also attended the meeting at Siddiqui's chamber.

"The meeting was called to shortlist some of the burning issues to be raised in the House on a priority basis in this short session," BSP leader Maurya told The Indian Express.

BJP legislator Radha Mohan Das Aggarwal, who attended the meeting on behalf of party leader Hukum Singh, said that all the opposition parties expressed dissatisfaction over the non-performance of the state government in its first eight months.

RLD leader Dalveer Singh said in addition to the issues identified at the meeting, his party would also raise the issue of unavailability of water to the farmers for irrigation because the desilting of canals has yet to be completed. Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Mathur said his party would also focus on the poor power scenario.

Some MLAs, however, wondered whether the meetings would really serve any purpose.

"Until about a decade ago, such meetings of the opposition parties to shortlist issues for the session were taken seriously. But now every party has their own hidden agenda which they do not disclose in such meetings," said an MLA.

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