The budget session of the Kerala assembly was adjourned sine die by Speaker A N Shamseer on Tuesday as differences between the members of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) widened over last week’s mayhem in the House. The budget session was scheduled till March 30.
Though the Speaker tried to break the ice several times, Opposition members insisted that the initiative for peace should come from chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.The Opposition announced a fresh stir in the House seeking action against marshals and the ruling party legislators who allegedly manhandled Opposition MLAs last week, and following this the chief minister brought a resolution to end the session.
After passing the chief minister’s resolution, the Speaker rushed through proceedings to end the session. Four bills were passed in the House without any discussion.
As the day’s proceedings began, Opposition leader V D Satheesan said if the “fake” cases registered against five MLAs in connection with last week’s mayhem was not withdrawn, all five law-makers will start an indefinite fast in the House.
Last week, on March 15, Opposition members staged a mock session in the House after the Speaker rejected many adjournment motions brought in by the Opposition. They also tried to block the Speaker’s office, leading to a major scuffle in which five opposition MLAs and many marshals were hurt.
While the injured MLAs were booked under non-bailable provisions, alleged perpetrators were booked under minor charges, said the opposition leader adding the government’s specific instructions to the police led to such a situation.
“It is sad injured legislators including two women were booked under non-bailable sections and perpetrators were booked under flimsy charges. This will only happen in Kerala. We cannot co-operate with an insensitive government like this,” he said.
But the ruling party members said the Opposition’s “unprecedented actions and disruptive tendencies” led to the curtailment of the session. “We never came across such behaviour. Disrupting the House somehow is the sole agenda of the Opposition,” said education minister V Sivankutty.
