SP and BSP lawmakers protest in UP Assembly while Governor was addressing a joint session

The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was off to a stormy start today, as legislators of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) hurled paper balls, raised slogans and climbed on chairs, while Governor Ram Naik addressed the joint session.

SP and BSP lawmakers, in a bid to pose as a formidable opposition after the tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls, raised slogans, "Rajyapal wapas jao (Go back Governor)," as he read out his speech highlighting the achievements and schemes of the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government.

"The way slogans were raised against the Governor and SP members threw paper balls at him is condemnable...Now you can imagine what kind of system these people want," said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is one of BJP's star campaigners for the general elections.

Amid the pandemonium, the Governor's security staff used cardboard files to deflect paper balls thrown at him by Opposition lawmakers.

SP and BSP lawmakers in UP Assembly climbed on tables while protesting

SP and BSP legislators protested against a wide ranging issues like law and order situation, women's security and farm crisis.

The CBI row in West Bengal also reflected in the UP Assembly, with Opposition lawmakers holding banners comparing the CBI to a caged parrot. They also raised slogans against the probe agency.

The UP Chief Minister, who was set to address a rally in a short while, has been denied permission for the second time. On Sunday, after being denied permission to hold a rally in Bengal, Yogi Adityanath lashed out at the "anti-people" Trinamool Congress government in the state, saying the days of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's rule are "numbered".

Mamata Banerjee, today hit out at him, saying he should "take care of Uttar Pradesh first" and "will lose if he contests elections now." The SP and the BSP have strongly supported Ms Banerjee over the CBI row.