THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Moving ahead with its bid to strike gold by pinning the government down on Sabarimala theft case, the UDF on Thursday staged a high-decibel protest in the assembly eliciting a response in kind from LDF, forcing early adjournment.
The day revealed what could be the strategy the two fronts adopt in the days to come over the case, which is expected to have a bearing on the assembly polls slated to be held in April. UDF members deviated from the norm, which is to issue a notice seeking sanction to move an adjournment motion, and instead threw the gauntlet to the government by launching a protest from the session’s onset The LDF, gauging that being on the defensive could hurt it, chose to connect Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the Sabarimala imbroglio.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan set the tone of the protest by demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan and urged the CMO to stop piling pressure on the SIT.
He said the opposition members are on an agitation and will not cooperate with the assembly proceedings. When Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh termed the protest as cowardice, UDF members trooped to the well with placards and banners, and raised slogans.
The parody song Swarnam Kattavar Aarappa, which UDF had put to good use during the local body polls, reverberated in the assembly hall in the form of slogans.
Rajesh readied the ground for LDF offensive saying that the UDF should ask its convenor Adoor Prakash the question, referring to the photographs of main accused Unnikrishnan Potti posing with Sonia.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty was more blunt. He too sang Swarnam Kattavar Aarappa, to which LDF members responded it was Congress. Sivankutty went on to allege that the gold lost from Sabarimala was with Sonia and she should be arrested. He also demanded that a raid be conducted at her residence. The LDF members launched a counter-protest and raised slogans against the Congress. As the protest grew, the speaker adjourned the house.
Later, Satheesan said Sivankutty and Rajesh were behaving as if they had lost their mental poise, referring to Sonia Gandhi’s name being dragged in the matter. He said the theft occurred in 2019 and despite knowing it, similar attempts were made in 2024 and 2025. Vasavan, meanwhile, turned down the demand for his resignation and asked whether the PM would step down if there is a flight disaster. The accused will be arrested and the gold will be returned to Lord Ayyappa, he said.