LUCKNOW: In a significant development during the Budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, a division emerged among Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs during the presentation of the Motion of Thanks concerning the Ayodhya Ram Temple with 97 of them saying aye and 14 saying no.
With 111 SP MLAs and 8 Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLAs present in the House, the session witnessed a crucial moment as the Motion of Thanks was tabled.
At that juncture 97 SP MLAs expressed support for the Yogi government, leaving only 14 MLAs refraining from raising their hands – showing their annoyance with the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The unexpected support extended to the Yogi administration also found backing from the RLD MLAs, solidifying the government’s position on this issue. The backdrop to this development unfolded during the fourth day of the Budget session when the Yogi government 2.0 presented a Budget worth Rs 7.36 lakh crore. Among various allocations, a significant portion, exceeding Rs 100 crore, was earmarked for the development of Ayodhya, notably including provisions for the Ram Temple project.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath underscored the symbolic significance of the budget, emphasising the prominent mention of Lord Ram throughout.
The attention turned to the Motion of Thanks pertaining to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The customary raising of hands by MLAs to indicate support or dissent became a focal point of the session. BJP MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi demanded that the names of the 14 MLAs who did not support the motion should be exposed and their names should be read out in the House by the Speaker Satish Mahana. The unexpected alignment of SP MLAs with the Yogi government’s stance on the Ram temple issue marks a significant political manoeuvre within the Legislative Assembly, highlighting the complexities and fluidity of political dynamics in Uttar Pradesh.
