Congress, BJP stage walkout in UP assembly over river pollution

Congress and BJP members on Thursday staged a walkout in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on the issue of river pollution due to release of untreated effluents by factories.

During the question hour, BJP member Satish Mahana raised the issue of river pollution due to effluents from factories wherein he sought to know the steps being taken by the government to check it. Minister Shiv Pratap Yadav replied that under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme, the quality of river water was checked at 53 places every month. Under The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 there was a provision of installing effluent treatment plants for treatment of industrial waste and action was taken against industries under provisions of the act, he said.

Meanwhile, Congress member Pankaj Malik raised concern over initiatives being taken in western UP to check river pollution. Dissatisfied with the reply, he along with other Congress members jumped into the Well.  However, the minister said that Congress members were not serious in getting the river cleaned but were playing politics over the issue.

Asking members to go back to their seats, Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey disapproved of the tradition of coming into the well during the question hour and said members should avoid this.

Soon after, Congress Legislative Party leader Pradeep Mathur asked his party members to come back. However, Malik expressed his displeasure with Mathur and was seen walking out of the House.  Later, Mathur alongwith other Congress members also walked out of the House.

BJP member Satish Mahana said that he was not getting a reply from the government on the question he posed and he too, walked out of the House with party members to register his protest.  After the walkout, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd Azam Khan said while Congress is a "loser" (referring to the recent Lok Sabha polls), BJP was afraid of losing in future and their act showed it all.

"BJP government at the Centre has written letter to the state to check price rise. BJP should be answerable to what it is doing. It should tell what is its plan to check pollution of rivers. They (BJP) had catapulted themselves by capturing media and using money power," he said.