In upper house, SP, BJP trade charges over unemployment

The Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday traded barbs over the issue of unemployment in the Vidhan Parishad.

SP leaders including Lal Bihari Yadav, Rajendra Chaudhary, Dr. Man Singh Yadav, Mukul Yadav, Ashutosh Sinha, Mohammad Jasmir Ansari, Balram Yadav, and Kiran Pal Kashyap raised concerns about the rising unemployment despite vacant posts in government departments.

They alleged that at least 22 papers of competitive exams had been leaked in UP since 2017, adding to more unemployment among aspirants.

Leader of the House Keshav Prasad Maurya refuted the charges by launching a counterattack on the SP. He said the SP’s problem was that the ‘copy-mafia’ patronised by it had become jobless. He also dared the SP leaders to name even a single person who said that he got a job through bribery.

The chairman rejected the adjournment motion but referred the matter to the government for necessary action.

Independent members Rajbahadur Singh Chandel and Dr. Akash Agarwal raised concerns about the incomplete construction of a government girls’ college in Unnao. Higher education minister Yogendra Upadhyay responded with details. The chairman rejected the motion but directed the government to take necessary action to complete the construction in the current year only.

Chairman summons Rae Bareli DIOS for defiance

Making a general observation that government officials in Uttar Pradesh had become stubborn, Vidhan Parishad chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh on Friday summoned the district inspector of school (DIOS) in Rae Bareli to his chamber on February 25 for his defiance for not complying with the House’s earlier orders.

The directive came when member Dhruv Kumar Tripathi raised the issue concerning a teacher from Wasi Naqvi National Inter College in Rae Bareli. The member highlighted the non-payment of salary to the teacher, prompting the chairman to take a strict stance.

MLC Dhruv Tripathi had previously raised the issue multiple times in the Council, seeking answers. However, with the matter resurfacing, the chairman expressed his displeasure, stating that officials had become extremely indifferent. Consequently, he summoned the DIOS on February 25.