The opposition in Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday targeted the Yogi Adityanath government over the farmers' agitation, deterioration in law and order, acute hardship faced by the migrant labourers due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown and rampant corruption by the bureaucracy in relief operations and purchase of items used in treatment of coronavirus infection.

Initiating the debate in the assembly over the motion of thanks to the Governor's address, leader of opposition and Samajwadi Party leader Ram Govind Chaudhary said the assembly should adopt a resolution for the repeal of the three farm laws. He also demanded the status of martyr to the two farmers of UP who died in Delhi and also compensation for their families.

Chaudhary questioned the claim of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that the minimum support price for cereal crops was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the MSP was started by then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and later the Agriculture Price Commission was also set up by the Central government for fixation of support price for agriculture crops.

The SP leader also targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party for failing to honour its promise of doubling the income of farmers. He said that far from taking measures for enhancing the income of farmers, the galloping inflation due to the steep hike in power tariff and price of diesel had ruined the agriculture economy.

Criticising the UP government for preventing the farmers from the state from reaching the Delhi border to join the protest, Chaudhary said notices were issued to a large number of farmers and road blocks were also put up by the police to prevent them from reaching Delhi.

Cornering the Yogi government on the law and order situation, the leader of opposition said there was no let-up in crime even after the police had killed many persons in encounters. He alleged that as many as 80 per cent of the police encounters were fake.

Quoting the NCRB figures, Chaudhary claimed that Uttar Pradesh was at the first position in crimes pertaining kidnappings, crimes against women, crimes/atrocities against Scheduled Castes, crimes against state and murders in 2019. He said UP was second only to Karnataka in cyber crimes and the state accounted for 25.6 per cent of the country's total cyber crime.

Referring to the sudden lockdown imposed in March last year after the outbreak of the coronavirus, the SP leader said that the government failed in managing the relief operations. He said the migrant labourers were forced to rush to their native villages on foot without any food and water. He said despite the crisis situation they were in, they had to face police repression when they reached UP border. He said the state and the Central governments did not consult the opposition nor an all-party meeting was called before imposing the nationwide lockdown.

The SP leader alleged rampant corruption in several districts in purchase of necessary equipment for the treatment of the patients infected by the coronavirus. He said the PPE kits and oximeters and other items were purchased at exorbitant cost.

He alleged that opposition parties were at the receiving end of the police and FIRs were lodged against the party leaders when they tried to provide relief to the poor people in their hour of crisis.

Accusing the government of abysmal failure in reaching out to the poor and needy, Chaudhary demanded financial assistance to the dependents of the migrant labourers who died on their way to their native villages in UP while coming from other states.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Lalji Verma also criticised the Yogi Adityanath government for the hardships caused to the common people during the lockdown and poor facilities in government hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Congress leader Anuradha Mishra also questioned the government claims on coronavirus relief work and criticised the government for its anti-farmer policies.