A dispute between the Speaker and Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan over the excessive time taken by the latter led to the disruption of proceedings in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday.

Speaker AN Shamseer’s intervention to stop his walkout speech has not gone well with Satheesan even though the speech exceeded nine minutes. He was elaborating how the government was neglecting the backward sections of society when the Speaker intervened.

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A visibly agitated Satheesan made it clear that he won’t back down. He said it was up to the Speaker to decide whether the session should continue, but that he wouldn’t allow it to proceed if the Speaker kept interrupting him. He also emphasised the importance of speaking with dignity in the Assembly. Following this, Opposition members gathered in front of the Speaker’s dais in protest.

Meanwhile, the Speaker switched off Satheesan’s mirophone and demanded that the members return to their seats. As the situation remained tense, the Speaker moved on to the next proceedings.