Five MlAs of the CPI(M)-led Opposition lDF were suspended from the Kerala Assembly on Monday over the ruckus that occurred in the House on March 13. However, no action has been taken against the legislators of the Congress-led ruling UDF despite complaints from the Opposition or against any member of the Watch and Ward.
Those suspended are EP Jayarajan (MlA from Mattannur), V Sivankutty (Nemom), K Kunhammed Master (Perambra), all belonging to the CPI(M), K Ajith (Vaikom) of the CPI and KT Jaleel, left-Independent member from Tavanur. The suspension is for the remaining period of the ongoing Budget Session of the House.
The action was taken for invading the Speaker’s dais, climbing atop his desk, throwing his chair out and destroying the computer, mike, headset and other implements. Though several lDF members had protested on the Speaker’s dais, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said action was being taken against those who had shown the worst vandalism.
The Opposition, however, refused to accept the action against its MlAs. The House was adjourned by noon Monday after noisy protests from the Opposition legislators who staged a dharna in the Well. It was also decided that the Assembly would now be convening only on March 23 and that there would be no discussion on the Budget presented on March 13.
Sources said that the Budget Session of the Assembly was most likely to be cut short as it was obvious that the House would not remain peaceful following the Opposition’s decision not to accept the suspension. The session, which should have run till April 23 as per schedule, could end on March 24 or 25 in the present situation, they said.
The Kerala Assembly had witnessed acts of vandalism on March 13, mainly from the part of the Opposition members who had vowed to prevent tainted Finance Minister KM Mani, accused of taking Rs1-crore bribe from bar owners and leaking out Budget proposals to interested sectors for money, presenting the 2015-16 Budget.
The House had also seen members from the ruling side responding in equal vehemence. It was alleged that some of them misbehaved with leftists woman MlAs. The incident was so grave that Governor P Sathasivam was forced to issue a release saying that the situation might even justify submission of a report by him to the President under Article 356 of the Constitution.
Speaking in the Assembly prior to moving the resolution on suspension of the five MlAs on Monday, Chandy claimed that not even a single member from the ruling side had attempted to enter the Speaker’s dais. There was no reason for taking any action against any of them as the Opposition MlAs had attacked them by approaching their benches.
Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan slammed the Chief Minister, the UDF and Speaker N Sakthan for the “unilateral action” by saying that neither the Government nor the Speaker was perturbed by the attack on the woman MlAs of the left. He also named the UDF MlAs who had allegedly abused the woman MlAs “mentally and physically”.
The Speaker was supposed to act impartially but Sakthan had been supporting the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister, thus becoming a shame for the Assembly itself, Achuthanandan said. “He himself says that he had ordered Mani to present the Budget with a gesture. Are Assembly affairs a child’s playIJ Are proceedings controlled through gesturesIJ” he asked.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Sakthan made a statement in the House that an apology should be tendered to the people for the March 13 developments. “The House had to hang its head in shame before the world. Such incidents have never happened in any other legislature in the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, State CPI(M) secretary and Deputy Opposition leader in the Assembly Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the lDF agitation against the Government would continue till the tainted Finance Minister resigned. “You can suspend as many MlAs as you want. You can imprison as many as you want. But that will not put out the fire of our protest,” Kodiyeri said.
