THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The resolution seeking the removal of the Speaker on Thursday marked the third such instance in the history of the state assembly. Similar resolutions were moved against A C Jose, in 1982, and later Vakkom Purushothaman, in 2004.
Both resolutions failed.In the latest instance, when the Opposition moved a resolution against Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, 92-year-old Vakkom was glued to the television set at his Kumarapuram home in the capital reminiscing his tryst with the resolution brought out amid a no-holds-barred attack unleashed by the then Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan.
In 2004, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the then deputy Opposition leader, had given notice against Vakkom over his alleged involvement in Congress’ group politics.
Recalling the experience, Vakkom told TNIE that, despite remaining impartial, he was targeted by the then Opposition which left him “a bit disappointed”. “I can always claim that I had ensured that every day the session was dispersed at 1.30pm as against the earlier practice of extending it well into the evening. I stuck to a particular schedule, and when I curtailed their speech time, the leaders learned to present issues within the stipulated time without deviating from the topic,” said Vakkom, who had also served as the Governor of Mizoram and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
He did not wish to take sides on the current issue. He still keeps a tab on what is happening in Congress. “I don’t wish to criticise anyone, including the KPCC leadership. If I have got something against these leaders, I call them up and speak my mind,” he added.A C Jose, who was the Speaker during 1981 -82, had earned the nick name ‘Always Casting Jose’ as he had exercised his casting vote eight times in 80 days to keep the then K Karunakaran government in office. Jose died in 2016 aged 79.