Lucknow, Aug. 11 -- The Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have demanded extension of the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly and Council commencing on Monday . The Samajwadi Party and the Congress have alleged that the government wants to run away from debate on key issues and that is why such a short session was called. The strategy for the session was discussed at a meeting of Samajwadi Party legislators chaired by the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav at the party headquarters in Lucknow. The Opposition parties presented their proposal to extend the session at the all-party meeting on Sunday where chief minister Yogi Adityanath was also present. Leader of Opposition in the assembly Mata Prasad Pandey (SP) said, "We have only four days' time. The government is bringing some proposals while we also have issues like unemployment, floods, education, inflation etc, which will be raised during the session. We are seeking a debate on the issue of school merger. We think four days will be a little too less to discuss the issues. The session should have been extended." Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra said, "We all want smooth functioning of the House. However, when you take a look at the schedule, you will know that from the 11th to the 14th there will be a half-day session only. What debate can be held in such a short time? The government is talking about introducing a vision document, which is a good thing. But there should be ample time to debate key issues. On the 13th, there will be a 24-hour session. We are okay with it. But will all 403 members get a chance to speak in those 24 hours?" "We proposed an extension of the monsoon session at the all-party meeting held today. Our preference will be to have a debate on all the key issues, but I don't think the government is going to listen to us. The issues, including the merger of schools, unemployment and farmers facing a shortage of fertilisers, flood submerging many districts in the state will be our focal point. I have demanded that the state government should ask for a special package from the Centre for flood-hit areas of the state," Mishra added. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council and SP Member of Legislatice Council Lal Bihari Yadav expressed concern over the short duration of the session. "I fail to understand what is the BJP government's compulsion to call such short sessions. Earlier, there were sessions for months, don't know why the BJP government wants to run away from questions of the people and why they want to stop the Opposition from speaking. The BJP government brings their proposals, gets them passed and then runs away."...