The Kerala assembly on Wednesday witnessed unprecedented developments and chaos leaving two opposition legislators and five watch and ward members injured after both indulged in a scuffle before the office of the Speaker.
Congress MLA Saneesh Joseph was admitted to the general hospital in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram after he collapsed in the din and Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) legislator K K Rema suffered injuries on her hand. Rema later alleged that Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) legislator from Alappzuha H Salam kicked her during the ruckus but the latter denied it.
Trouble began in the House after Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission for an adjournment motion moved by Congress’ Uma Thomas citing an attack on a 16-year-old girl last week in Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram. Angry opposition members later came out of the House and blocked the Speaker’s office seeking “impartial treatment” in the House. But watch and ward members blocked the legislators and a scuffle ensued, and later ruling party members also joined them.
“I was dragged by the watch and ward members. Some of them twisted my hands. Making use of the din H Salam MLA kicked and showered with verbal abuses. Ruling party members also let loose violence and it was a sad day in the legislative history of the state,” said Rema who later got her hand plastered. Injured MLA Saneesh Joseph also alleged he was manhandled by the watch and ward and ruling party legislators. Five watch and ward employee were also admitted to the hospital. Later, opposition leader V D Satheesan filed a complaint with the Speaker.
{{/usCountry}}“I was dragged by the watch and ward members. Some of them twisted my hands. Making use of the din H Salam MLA kicked and showered with verbal abuses. Ruling party members also let loose violence and it was a sad day in the legislative history of the state,” said Rema who later got her hand plastered. Injured MLA Saneesh Joseph also alleged he was manhandled by the watch and ward and ruling party legislators. Five watch and ward employee were also admitted to the hospital. Later, opposition leader V D Satheesan filed a complaint with the Speaker.
{{/usCountry}}“The government has lost its face after many complaints surfaced against it. Desperate, it is taking on opposition members. It is doing all dirty tricks to silence us. If we cannot raise serious issues in the assembly where will we go,” said the opposition leader. He said the cornered chief minister was using the Speaker to stifle the opposition’s voice. The Speaker later said he will make a statement in the House on Thursday.
Tourism Minister Mohammad Riyaz, also son-in-law of the chief minister, said the opposition was disrupting the House by raising “non-issues”. “The behaviour of the opposition leader is not in consonance with the post he is holding,” he said. The Congress has asked party workers to hold protest meetings against the attack on its legislators.
The assembly had witnessed such an incident in March 2015 when law-makers of then opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) prevented finance minister K M Mani from presenting the budget, alleging his role in the bar bribery case. Interestingly, his party Kerala Congress (Mani) is in the LDF camp now.