Samajwadi Party protests outside state assembly against UP Government over Varanasi demolitions

Lucknow (UttarPradesh) [India], February 9 (ANI): On the first day of the UP Assembly budget session in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders held a protest against the state government over several issues.
Samajwadi Party MLC Ashutosh Sinha stated that the party intends to "corner the government" regarding the continuous demolition of temples in Varanasi, vowing to fight the issue from the streets to the assembly.
Speaking to ANI, Ashutosh Sinha said, "Ever since the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh, they have been constantly working to demolish temples. Before or after India's independence, no one has demolished as many temples as the Uttar Pradesh government is doing now. We are residents of Varanasi. We are seeing how our faith is being toyed with. Therefore, on this issue, we will work to corner the government from the streets to the assembly."
Speaking about government claims that the video is AI-generated and that the opposition is spreading confusion, for which an FIR has been filed, he said the government is scared and has worked to stop us.
"The government is scared. When we wanted to go and see for ourselves whether it was AI or if the government's claims were baseless, the government worked to stop us. They filed cases against us. The police dragged us away. Just think about how scared the UP government is. We have fought on this matter on the streets, and we will continue to question the government in the assembly as well," said Ashutosh Sinha.
He also stated that we will continue to hold the government accountable. On every issue affecting the poor, labourers, farmers, youth, weavers, the unemployed, lawyers, teachers, and Shiksha Mitras, we will challenge the government.
Samajwadi Party MLA Ravidas Mehrotra, during the protest, speaking to ANI, said, "The budget session is starting from today. The government's budget has already been leaked; they are presenting a budget of more than 9 lakh crore rupees. However, of the budget they presented last year, not even 40% has been spent yet. This government has failed on all fronts."
"A 'Jungle Raj' (lawlessness) run by goons and mafias has been established in the state. Even the Shankaracharyas are speaking out against this government. The Chief Minister no longer has any moral right to remain in power even for a single day," Ravidas added. (ANI)