The budget session of Uttar Pradesh legislature commenced on Thursday with a  joint sitting of both Houses that was marred by noisy scenes as the opposition shouted anti-government slogans and waved placards highlighting problems of the people and the farmers.

Governor Anandiben Patel had to face the ire of the opposition members comprising Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress during her maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses. The only saving grace was that the opposition members refrained from throwing paper balls at her.

The demand to withdraw National Register of Citizens (NRC), Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR) found special mention in the opposition protest.

Opposition members raised slogans like, ‘Kanoon vyavastha trast hai, Yogi mast hai’, (law and order is in a shambles while Yogi is in bliss), ‘Abhi Delhi hari hai, ab UP ki bari hai, No CAA/NCR/NPR,’ ‘Withdraw CAA and reply on atrocities against women CAA protesters’, ‘OBC population ka Census karo’, and ‘Kisan virodhi yeh sarkar, nahi chalegi’.

To counter opposition slogans, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party members  thumped the tables when Governor Anandiben Patel read out the achievements of the government.

Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit, however, thanked the Governor for reading the entire speech, amid noisy scenes.

During the Governor’s address, some BSP women members were seen clicking ‘selfies’ of their protest with placards but later security personnel of the House asked them not to do so.

Before the start of the session, SP and Congress members staged a dharna outside Vidhan Bhawan. The SP members brought some LPG cylinders on their head to protest the recent hike in price of LPG refill.

The Yogi Adityanath government will table its fourth budget in the House on February 18. The Assembly is expected to continue till March 7.