THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The moral policing incident in Kochi involving activists of the Shiv Sena took the Kerala Assembly by storm on Thursday with MLAs of the ruling LDF and the Opposition UDF nearly coming to blows over the issue. The Opposition later boycotted Assembly proceedings for the day to protest a controversial statement by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan linking the Shiv Sena with the Opposition.
During Zero Hour, Hibi Eden of the Congress sought permission to move an adjournment motion on the moral policing incident which was denied by the Speaker. Instead of opting for the usual walkout, irate Opposition MLAs marched to the well of the House. Some MLAs sat in the chamber and shouted slogans.
Even as the ruckus continued, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rose to speak. The Chief Minister wondered whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the moral policing "drama" and whether the Shiv Sena activists were hired by the Opposition.
Tense Situation
The Chief Minister's statement angered the UDF MLAs who rushed to the Treasury benches shouting slogans. The LDF MLAs soon formed a wall around the Chief Minister and challenged the Opposition. Sensing the volatile situation, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan adjourned the House temporarily. After the Speaker left the House, the Chief Minister walked to the well of the House and reprimanded a young MLA from the Opposition for allegedly threatening him during the melee.
Opposition Boycott
Later, when the House assembled after an hour, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded that the Chief Minister withdraw his statement linking them with the Shiv Sena. V D Satheesan MLA urged the Speaker to expunge the Chief Minister's controversial statement from the Assembly records. The Speaker assured the Opposition that their demand would be looked into. Not satisfied with the Speaker's reply, the Opposition boycotted the House proceedings for the day.
Chennithala's statement triggers row
Speaking on the moral policing issue, Ramesh Chennithala referred to an incident in Guruvayoor. He said 15,000 litres of groundwater, to be used for rituals in the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, was drained into the open from a water tanker by “anti-social elements”. He also alleged connivance on the part of the police. This was countered by Guruvayoor MLA K V Abdul Khader who said the incident happened with the blessings of two UDF councilors.
Chennithala then wondered why Abdul Khader was justifying denial of water to the temple. This remark angered the ruling LDF MLAs who alleged a communal overtone in the statement. After a brief ruckus, the Speaker declared that the statement has been removed from the records.