THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition UDF has demanded that an Assembly panel be sent to Sabarimala to take stock of the situation and the difficulties faced by the pilgrims due to poor infrastructure facilities.
Addressing the media, the UDF leaders attacked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his negative stance towards the adjournment motion over Sabarimala. The Chief Minister has taken the call on denying permission for the motion, instead of the Speaker, they alleged.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said when the UDF asked the Speaker to suspend the question hour and take up the notice for adjournment motion the Chief Minister intervened and said that he had already talked about the Sabarimala issue on Wednesday and hence there was no need for the motion to be taken up.
“The notice for adjournment motions on Wednesday and Thursday are two different issues. On Wednesday, we had raised the issue of prohibitory orders, while on Thursday it was about poor infrastructure facilities. How can they deny the right to raise the issue through adjournment motion? During the last UDF Government’s time, the LDF had raised the same issue many a time,” Chennithala said.
IUML leader M K Muneer termed it an extraordinary situation in the House. “The Chief minister has taken away the Speaker’s right. When we raised the demand to suspend the question hour, the Chief Minister insisted that the Speaker should take a call against the demand,” he said. Muneer alleged that the LDF Government did not want the Sabarimala issue to be discussed in the House due to its understanding with the BJP. Also, it was part of a move to cover up the poor facilities at Pampa.
UDF leaders K M Mani and Anoop Jacob also criticised the government for its stance in the Assembly on the Sabarimala issue, on Thursday.