The fourth session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly will commence on Friday with the customary address of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. The main agenda of the session that concludes on March 23 would be the presentation of the 2022-23 Budget by Finance Minister K N Balagopalan.
The 30-days long meeting is certain to generate fireworks and tense situations between the ruling Left Democratic Front and the Opposition United Democratic Front as there are no dearth of controversies haunting the State Government.
Even as this report is being filed a scam has broken out in Kerala State Electricity Board with B Ashok, the chairman of the board himself coming out in the open alleging irregularities worth crores of rupees.
A five acre plot of prime property owned by the Board has been handed over to a CPI(M) owned private bank on a platter following the intervention of trade union leaders owing allegiance to the ruling party, said a social media post by Ashok, an IAS officer, who is being kicked around like a football from one post to another at the instance of party bosses.
The face off-between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has reached alarming heights.
“The Governor’s reluctance to sign on the dotted line in the ordinance that literally crippled the powers of the Lok Ayukta and the degradation of the State’s institutes of higher learning due to political intervention are issues which would rob most of the time in this session,” a senior Congress leader told The Pioneer.
He said the agitation against the Silver Line, the semi high speed rail track between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram, is getting louder and louder as those who face displacement from their houses have joined hands with the environmentalists and ecologists in opposing the same.
The scam over the appointment of wives, sisters and in-laws of MLAs, MPS and party’s top leaders is another issue which is likely to put the administration in dilemma. “These are just tips of the ice bergs. We will come to the House with more startling disclosures once the session commences,” V D Satheeshan, leader of the opposition told the media on Thursday.
The Governor’s speech, which is prepared by the Chief Minister’s Office would be full of anti-Centre rhetoric, said a CPI(M) leaders. “Communalism practiced by the BJP and Narendra Modi are dangerous to the country and we will play a major role in getting rid of the BJP Government in the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” party’s senior leader S R Pillai said while addressing a public meeting at Alappuzha.
The law and order situation in the State has jolted the population. On Sunday, the house of a bridegroom in Kannur district saw one of the guests meeting with gruesome death in a bomb blast.
Though three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, people are yet to get over the shock.
The death of two young models in Kochi and the arrest of drug traffickers on a daily basis indicate the failure of the policing system in Kerala. “I know that many undesirable elements have infiltrated into the police force. We will get them weeded out at the eartliest,” said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while addressing the CPI(M) meeting at Alappuzha on Wednesday.