THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid intensifying Opposition protest over the Sabarimala issue, the Assembly session was cut short by a day to end on Thursday. Three Congress legislators, accused of attacking the watch and ward personnel, were suspended from the session hours before it was guillotined. Ruckus started in the House after the Opposition members walked into the well of the House raising slogans and holding a banner.
The watch and ward personnel prevented the opposition members from climbing the Speaker’s dais. In the melee, the chief marshal of the watch and ward sustained injuries. Speaker A N Shamseer, after a heated exchange with Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, adjourned the House for some time. When the House restarted, the Opposition walked out after another round of protest.
After the chief minister, it was the turn of CPM legislator P P Chitharanjan on Thursday to court a controversy by making an unkind remark against the physically challenged. In his bid to ridicule the Opposition members’ protest, Chitharanjan likened them to the plight of a person without arms (a repugnant remark).
Later, LSG, Excise and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh moved a resolution seeking the suspension of three Congress legislators - Roji M John, M Vincent and Saneesh Kumar - for injuring Chief Marshal M Shibu. According to Rajesh, Shibu was admitted to the Medical College Hospital where he had to undergo a surgery on his right hand.
21 bills in total
The house considered ten bills in a marathon legislative business held in the absence of the opposition. They included The Kerala Single Dwelling Place Protection Bill, 2025, The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Kerala Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Guruvayoor Devaswom (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Speaker Shamseer, in his concluding remark at the end of the session, said a total of 21 bills were passed in 11 days.
‘Wilful defaulters cannot claim benefit’
Industries and Law Minister P Rajeeve said wilful loan defaulters cannot avail of benefits under the new dwelling protection law. “The law is not for writing off the loan at a go. First there will be a mediation between the parties. The family will be encouraged to pay the maximum they can and the rest would be taken over. The applications will have to be vetted by the district and state- level committees,” he said.
