THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Eleven years after violent scenes in the state assembly shocked the public, former speaker N Sakthan on Sunday offered a humorous explanation for the unfortunate developments, attributing them to the coming together of four 13s. His remarks drew laughter from the audience of former legislators who had gathered at the assembly to celebrate the 70th Keralam Piravi.
However, Sakthan did not explain the incident and said he wishes such scenes would never be repeated in the House.
Four 13s came together on March 13, 2015, and the result was one of the most unfortunate episodes in the history of the legislative assembly, he said. “I feel we Malayalis believe that the number 13 is jinxed. I think that is true in relation to the incident. It was the 13th session of the 13th legislative assembly. Also, the date was March 13, and it was the 13th budget presentation of Mani sir. When four 13s came together, the most unfortunate incident in the assembly occurred,” he said.
The episode played out against the backdrop of then finance minister K M Mani presenting the state budget. The LDF-led opposition attempted to prevent him from presenting the budget, as Mani was facing a vigilance inquiry following allegations by Biju Ramesh that he demanded a `5 crore bribe and accepted `1 crore to renew liquor licences for bars.