THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was not the first time the Opposition legislators launched a protest in the well of the Legislative Assembly. The credit for holding protests inside the well of the assembly for the first time goes to EMS Namboodiripad. During his tenure as the Opposition leader, a similar protest took place on October 21, 1974. Later, when A K Antony was the Opposition leader, UDF legislators staged a protest on the self-financing college issue.
When Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan announced on Tuesday that five UDF MLAs will hold an indefinite satyagraha in the well of the House, Speaker A N Shamseer was caught unawares. Shamseer maintained that it was not right for them to stage a protest in the well.
Former speaker and LSG Minister M B Rajesh too endorsed Shamseer’s statement and said the UDF MLAs can’t hold protests inside the assembly where the session is going on. Minister V Sivankutty blamed the UDF leadership and legislators who resorted to staging indefinite protests in the well. But Satheesan said that what the LDF leaders said is in fact not true.
“EMS held a protest inside the assembly in 1974 demanding that the ministers in the C Achutha Menon ministry who had come under the scanner should step down. When EMS and five other legislators started their protest inside the well of the assembly on October 21, 1974, the session was adjourned sine die,” said Satheesan.
Again, EMS held a similar protest on February 25, 1975, which lasted for 30 hours. The next day the session was adjourned sine die when EMS and his colleagues stayed in the assembly during night. This form of protest was again emulated by Antony on July 17, 2000 raising the Plus II corruption issue. UDF legislators Sobhana George, Mamman Mathai, K Babu, Babu Divakaran and C J Joy held protests. The-then speaker M Vijayakumar made arrangements to cut off power and water supplies which led the Opposition to call off their protest. The very next day the session was indefinitely adjourned.
“In 2011, during the tenure of V S Achuthanandan as Opposition leader, a similar protest took place. Once in a while, the LDF legislators should scan through the pages of assembly history. They have no qualms in alleging that the incumbent Opposition leader is the worst,” added Satheesan.
In 2011, CPM MLAs James Mathew and T V Rajesh were suspended for allegedly misbehaving with women watch and ward staff which saw the latter crying unabashedly before television cameras. Later on March 12, 2015, the House witnessed the worst ever unruly scenes which saw CPM MLAs V Sivankutty and E P Jayarajan unleashing ruckus when the then finance minister K M Mani presented his budget speech.