The proceedings of the Kerala Assembly were disrupted on Tuesday, following the UDF members referred the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) remand report submitted to the court seeking custody of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s former principal secretary, who was arrested by the agency in the Life Mission bribery case, in the House.
The LDF members vociferously resisted when Congress member Mathew Kuzhalnadan moved an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the arrest of Sivasankar, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Pinarayi Vijayan’s former principal secretary.
The ruling LDF members objected when Kuzhalnadan said that Chief Minister Vijayan’s name is mentioned in the ED’s report submitted in the court.
“Your left hand man is in jail and right hand man has been summoned by the ED.The ED’s remand report regarding Sivasankar says that the chief minister has several rounds of talks with the accused at his official residence before the Life Mission project contract was signed.Can you deny it,” Kuzhalnadan asked while moving the adjournment motion.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan denied the claims made in the remand report.
“I never met anyone mentioned in the report,” the CM said. Then Kuzhalnadan asked the chief minister,if the report of the ED is wrong,why did he move against the agency.To this,the chief minister said he did not need legal advice from Kuzhalnadan.
As Kuzhalnadan engaged in argument with the chief minister,the ruling LDF members tried to shout him down.At this point law minister P Rajeeve intervened and said it was improper to discuss a sub judice matter in the House.
The LDF members requested Speaker AN Shamseer to remove the portions of ED’s report in Kuzhalnadan’s speech from the records.The Speaker then ruled that the matters that the ED submitted in the court won’t be in the records.
The Speaker denied permission to adjourn the House based on the explanation given by local administration minister MB Rajesh. Protesting against this, the UDF members staged a walk out from the House.