Lucknow, Sep 12

The Samajwadi Party (SP) is likely to boycott the 48-hour marathon Uttar Pradesh Assembly session proposed by the Yogi Adityanath government to discuss and deliberate the 17-point Charter of the United Nations' Agenda on Development.

The session is scheduled to be held on October 2, on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Senior SP leader and Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary on Thursday said party chief Akhilesh Yadav has called for state-wide protest on October 1 to raise the issue of hike in electricity tariff.

On October 2, all MPs, MLAs and MLCs would stage a day-long dharna at Gandhi statue "to save democracy".

"A non-stop, 48-hour session seems illogical. Instead of the day and night deliberations, the session could have been extended to three or four days. SP is preoccupied with agitations and a final decision would be taken soon," he said.

A Congress leader, on the other hand, has raised a question: "What is the need for a non-stop session? Is it an Emergency? We have communicated our feelings to the party high command and a decision on our participation will be taken soon. The Congress Legislators are not in a mood to attend this session."

The SP and the Congress's new stand on the session has surprised the ruling party as earlier they had expressed willingness to join the special Assembly session.

The decision to hold this unique session was unanimously taken at an all-party meeting convened by Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit in last week of August.

After the meeting, Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu had said: "While all of us have unanimously agreed to the session as it is for a good cause, we asked the Chief Minister that the discussion should not be limited for the sake of record."

The session will discuss the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Every member is expected to get five minutes to speak on the subject. They will not be allowed to speak on any other subject during the special session.

SP-Cong can boycott 48-hr UP Assembly session