Ruckus in Kerala Assembly: 4 Opposition MLAs, 5 security personnel injured

Congress-led Opposition members got provoked after Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission for the adjournment motion moved by MLA Uma Thomas citing the assault of a minor girl in broad daylight in the state capital the other day.

Opposition members moved towards his chamber, raising slogans against Shamseer. They sat in front of the office of the Speaker, holding a protest banner. Meanwhile, the security staff’s attempt to remove the protesting Opposition members ended up in a scuffle. The Opposition alleged that the security staff manhandled senior Congress legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.

As the tension mounted, a section of legislators from the ruling bench also joined the melee. Many Opposition legislators were forcibly removed from the premises of the Speaker’s office. One of the Opposition legislators, Saneesh Kumar Joseph, collapsed. Opposition legislator K K Rama, who was admitted to the hospital, alleged ruling CPI(M) legislator H Salam had kicked her.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said the Speaker had repeatedly denied permission for notices for adjournment motion, to which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had to reply.

“Speaker has adopted a stand that he would not allow any notice in which the chief minister is bound to reply. What is being implemented in the Assembly is the agenda of the chief minister’s family. When PWD minister Muhammed Riyas was scheduled to furnish a paper in the Assembly, he found that occasion to insult the Opposition by saying that the Opposition has a banana stem (a weak one) as its backbone. This is illegal. He has become a minister under the management quota,” he said.

Riyas later told the media that the Opposition leader was insulting the ministers. “All of us, including myself, have become ministers as part of a political party. Satheesan has been behaving like the BJP’s Opposition leader. He is not ready to raise his voice against the BJP,” said Riyas.