I obeyed governor's instructions: UP speaker

Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi asserted in Lucknow on Tuesday that the proceedings of the House, during the crucial vote of confidence in the Kalyan Singh government, was conducted in strict adherence to the instructions received from Governor Romesh Bhandari under the provisions of Article 175(2) of the Constitution.

Briefing the media following the Kalyan Singh government's winning the vote, Tripathi said he had been specifically asked by the governor not to adjourn the House in any circumstance whatsoever until the confidence vote had been disposed of.

Defending his action in not adjourning the House when violence erupted, he said he had persistently urged the members to maintain peace. Tripathi argued that in the face of the governor's specific instructions, there was really no stronger action he could take.

Expressing his displeasure at the largescale violence unleashed within the House, Tripathi said the lack of tolerance and inability to face political opposition that sparked the violence had put a question mark on the validity of the democratic process. "The disruption of proceedings in the house was an attempt to murder democracy," the speaker held. "The events in the Vidhan Sabha were condemnable and disgraceful. I sincerely hope such events are not repeated.''

The speaker said he had expected the Opposition, particularly parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party to behave with a sense of responsibility. "They failed to do this," Tripathi said.

He further argued that the Opposition, sensing that the Kalyan Singh government was all set to prove its majority, had resorted to violence in a bid to subvert the democratic process. "I was informed that there was a possibility of violence even before the House assembled for the vote," Tripathi, who is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said.