THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition UDF members disrupted the proceedings of the Kerala Assembly for the second day and staged a boycott after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not withdraw his remarks against the Opposition alleging their links with Shiv Sena. They were irked after Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan kept his ruling on the demand to expunge the remarks in abeyance.
From question hour, an irate opposition stuck to its demand, and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala criticised the chief minister for stepping into the well of the house on Thursday and venting his anger against Opposition. ''No chief minister has ever resorted to such an act like Pinarayi Vijayan did. He is the leader of the House who is supposed to ensure the protection of all members,'' Chennithala said.
The chief minister reiterated that he had ventured into the well only after the Speaker had temporarily adjourned the House amid the pandemonium. The Speaker also said that he hadn't seen the chief minister coming into the well.
''There was nothing wrong in my act since the Speaker was not in the chair. The Opposition leader is airing total lies,'' Pinarayi said, adding that the Opposition is in a 'special state of mind' while criticising the RSS.
On the insinuations passed by the chief minister against the UDF camp, Ramesh Chennithala said that the opposition doesn't need a certificate or sermons from Pinarayi to take on the RSS and Sangh Parivaar. ''Pinarayi is the one who had contested elections in Koothuparambu segment with the support of Janasangh,'' Chennithala alleged.
MLA and KPCC vice president V D Satheesan had under rule 307 demanded the Speaker to expunge Pinarayi’s remarks on the UDF-Shivsena connect and give a specified date. However, Sreeramakrishnan responded by saying that he cannot specify a duration. Ramesh Chennithala then announced a boycott, saying that the Opposition cannot wait till the next session for his ruling on the issue.
Addressing media, Ramesh turned against Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan for treating the Opposition in a totally partisan manner in the House. ''A Speaker is one who must protect the interests of all members. Unfortunately, such a gesture is not forthcoming from the Speaker. He had expunged remarks which I didn't even air in a manner as alleged, and without examining records. But he is unwilling to expunge the remarks of the chief minister even as the Opposition has repeatedly urged for it,'' he alleged.