THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF members, led by the Congress, on Tuesday decided to come to the rescue of Chief Minister V.S.
Achuthanandan at least inside the Assembly. The Chief Minister had recently been put on the dock by his own party in the factional feud.
The UDF members expressed their anguish over that attack on a CPM march supporting the Chief Minister in Ambalappuzha. The UDF members sought to raise this issue through an adjournment motion. In the end, the UDF members even staged a walkout protesting against the attack.
Before leaving the House, Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy reminded the Treasury benches that ``This adjournment motion should have been brought by you since the attack was against those who held a march for your Chief Minister. It is a pity.'' Moving the adjournment motion, B. Babuprasad of the Congress said that it was the CPM activists who had attacked the pro-Achuthanandan march.
In his reply, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the situation in Ambalappuzha was under control. Cases had been registered against three persons based on the statements by mediapersons injured in the attack yesterday. A case was also registered against 20 others, he said. The Home Minister said that the adjournment motion was politically motivated.
The Opposition had raised the issue with an intention of propagating that there was internal divisions in the CPM, he said.
Chandy said that the Home Minister's reply amounted to justifying those who attacked the pro- Achuthanandan march.
Chandy said that the Home Minister had made this statement only because the Chief Minister was silent.
In the party, a politburo member may be above a central committee member but in the government, the Chief Minister was above all, he said. Before staging the walkout, Chandy had a piece of advice for Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan.
"Sir, please ask your followers not to go out of their houses. Because nobody will be there to help them, even the Chief Minister.''