Lucknow: A heated exchange took place in the UP Assembly after Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA from Jasrana, Sachin Yadav, questioned the state govt’s policy regarding permissions for religious events, jayantis, and processions primarily related to Dalit ideologues. Raising the issue during Question Hour, Yadav asked whether the govt would consider formulating a “simple and safe policy” to address alleged administrative irregularities in religious programmes and shobha yatras carried out by Dalit communities. He sought to know if govt would remove condition of “presence in conventional police register” and allow “every section” of society to observe jayantis and carry out processions of their leaders without discrimination. Yadav asked govt if process for obtaining permission would be simplified and whether approvals for village-level processions could be granted locally. Responding to the query, state parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna squarely rejected allegations of discrimination levelled by the SP legislator.
