The day’s proceedings in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday ended in 15 minutes time, after the Congress-led Opposition demanded action against two treasury legislators and a few Watch and Ward staff who had misbehaved with the opposition women MLAs.
On Wednesday, the opposition legislators staged a siege at the Speaker’s office located next door to the floor of the Assembly, to protest against him. Following this the Watch and Ward staff were called to disperse the protesting MLAs.
In the melee a few opposition legislators were injured, which included K.K. Rema.
On Thursday morning just before the Assembly proceedings began, Speaker A.N. Shamseer held a meeting of the party leaders and requested both sides to ensure things are brought under control.
In the meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan were engaged in a war of words with each taking on one another, leaving others amused.
Satheesan said the right of the opposition to present leave for adjournment motion is being rejected outrightly to which Vijayan said it was not possible to allow the presentation of adjournment motion for anything and everything and the two continued to take on one another for some more time.
When the House assembled, Shamseer said what happened in the House complex and before the office of the Speaker was something unheard and unseen before in the history of the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
“Such things should have never happened and the happenings were shot on mobile phones and that was not acceptable. We could have used technology which is available to jam recordings in the mobile, but we did not use it. So I request all should cooperate,” said Shamseer.
Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said, “It was true that things might have gone out of hand, but all we did was to stage a democratic protest before the office of the Speaker.
“But the peaceful democratic protests were spoiled by two treasury bench legislators and a few Watch and Ward staff. We demand action against them.”
And, when the Question hour began, the opposition legislators trooped into the well and then shouted slogans before the dais of the Speaker.
Unable to proceed, the Speaker then suspended question hour and rushed through the proceedings of the House before adjourning the House for the day.