UP MLA brings Sugarcane, Chains to assembly

SP MLA Atul Pradhan’s Unique Demonstration Against Government Policies

On the second day of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s budget session, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Atul Pradhan arrived at the Vidhan Bhavan carrying sugarcane on his back and holding a photo of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.

His dramatic protest was aimed at highlighting the struggles of sugarcane farmers in the state, who he claimed were being neglected by the government.

Pradhan accused the state government of failing to provide timely payments to sugarcane farmers and ignoring their economic distress. “The government claims to be pro-farmer, yet sugarcane growers are suffering due to delayed payments and rising debts,” he said.

By carrying sugarcane to the Assembly, he sought to draw attention to their plight and demand immediate relief measures.

Chains on the First Day: A Symbol of Farmers’ Bondage

This was not Pradhan’s first symbolic protest during the budget session. On the first day, he had arrived at the Assembly with chains wrapped around his hands, feet, and neck, calling it a representation of how farmers were being shackled by government apathy.

“Farmers are being crushed under debt and exploitation. The government boasts about development, but the reality is that our farmers are still bound in economic slavery,” he declared.

SP MLC Ashutosh Sinha also joined the protest, bringing what he called the “urn of morality” (Naitikta ka Asthi Kalash) to question the government’s ethical stance on various issues, including the deaths in the recent Kumbh Mela stampede.

Opposition Disrupts Assembly Proceedings

As soon as the House proceedings began on the second day, SP legislators stormed into the well of the Assembly, raising slogans against the government. They demanded that the administration disclose the actual number of deaths in the Kumbh stampede and address farmers’ grievances.

Pradhan’s protests reflect a growing dissatisfaction within the opposition regarding the government’s handling of farmers’ issues, raising concerns about the agricultural sector’s future in Uttar Pradesh.

TNR