The first day of the ninth session of the Kerala legislative Assembly was adjourned on Monday after paying homage to former chief minister Oommen Chandy and Congress leader and former minister Vakkom Purushothaman

Paying tributes to Ommen Chandy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “To be elected continuously from the same constituency for over five decades, to never face defeat and to have such a long term in the assembly, these are rare even in global parliamentary records.”

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He further said, “While other Congress leaders like AK Antony and K Karunakaran have been elected to Parliament, for Oommen Chandy, the Kerala Assembly was close to his heart. He remained here till his death. There is no bigger evidence than this of his love for Kerala and its people.”

The chief minister recalled that Chandy and he had entered the Assembly together in 1970.

Speaker AN Shamseer said Oommen Chandy was a leader who energised the crowd. “Chandy has always been a textbook for students of politics and public servants,” he added.

Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said Chandy had dedicated his life to public service and stood out from the rest for his humility and benevolence towards those who came to him for help.

Paying rich tributes to Vakkom Purushothaman, Vijayan said, “Purushothaman held leadership positions at all levels of democracy. He was a member of councils from panchayat to Parliament. In all such councils, he made significant contributions. He was able to go into the crowds and work among the people. That’s why he was able to become MLA from Attingal five times, become a minister three times and twice the Speaker of this Assembly.”

The Assembly will be reconvened on Tuesday for legislative business and conclude on 23 August.

The 12-day session, primarily intended for lawmaking, is expected to take up 14 Bills, including the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Institutions (Prevention of violence and Damage to Property) Amendment Bill, 2023 and the Kerala Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2023. These two Bills would replace Ordinances.

Two other Bills, the Kerala Livestock and Poultry Feed and Mineral Mixture (Regulation of Manufacture and Sale) Bill, 2022 and the Kerala Co-operative Societies (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 were earlier referred to the Select Committee. The Assembly will consider the reports submitted by the committee on these Bills.

The Opposition UDF is equipped with enough ammunition against the ruling party such as price hike, Plus One admission crisis, financial crisis, college principal recruitment controversy, AI camera, and drug mafia.