THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The assembly on Tuesday witnessed unruly scenes when the ruling members ignored Speaker A N Shamseer’s repeated plea not to disrupt Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan’s speech on the adjournment motion notice.
The pandemonium started after Satheesan started criticising the chief minister for his alleged failure to give protection to the lives and property of people. His statement that the home department is run by a coterie and the way in which police are treating octogenarian political activist Grow Vasu was enough to provoke the ruling benches.
Satheesan said the ruling front has been insulting the speaker on a constant basis. Referring to the ruckus in the House on Tuesday, Satheesan alleged that the chief minister’s office had been hijacked by a gang led by the works minister.
“Even after the speaker issued his ruling, the ruling front legislators were behaving in a manner insulting to the chair. There are also regular incidents where the ruling MLAs are targeting the speaker, in the name of the Opposition,” said Satheesan who added that he would not like to reveal the real reason for the Left MLAs’ targeting Speaer A N Shamseer.
Satheesan further alleged that a team of Left MLAs led by the ministers attempted to disrupt his speech. They didn’t even allow the deputy leader of the Opposition to speak in the House, he added.
Led by ministers K N Balagopal, K Rajan, M B Rajesh and Chinchu Rani the ruling front MLAs questioned Satheesan’s statement. Although the speaker repeatedly pleaded with the ruling MLAs to keep quiet, the ruckus went on.
This was enough to provoke the opposition and the MLAs stood in front of the Speaker’s chair and demanded that the Opposition leader should be allowed to complete his speech.