Disruption, walkout and protest mark opening day of Kerala House session
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The budget session of Kerala assembly started on a turbulent note on Friday with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition boycotting governor Arif Mohammad Khan’s speech, demanding the resignation of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan over their alleged links with the gold smuggling case.
The governor requested opposition members to allow him to carry out his constitutional obligation and later, angry members stormed out and staged a sit-in outside the House.
Soon after the governor arrived to deliver his customary address, opposition legislators who came with banners and posters shouted slogans against the CM and the Speaker.
The opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said that it was the most corrupt government the state has seen. “In the last five years, the LDF government had made several promises, but none have been implemented,” he alleged, adding the UDF would continue its protest during the entire session.
Continuing his address, amid the din, Khan said,“I am doing my constitutional duty...it is expected that no obstruction will be created while the Governor is performing constitutional duties. You have already raised enough slogans...”.
The governor continued his speech listing out the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s achievements. Khan read out in full the remarks against the farm laws, against which the assembly had passed an unanimous resolution on December 31.
“These agrarian laws will undermine regulated markets, result in eventual demise of minimum support price and tilt the balance of bargaining power definitely in favour of corporate middle men,” Khan said referring to the agrarian laws
The lone Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator O Rajagopal, who had backed a motion against the fresh farm laws during special assembly session on December 24, attended the whole session.
The governor also attacked the central investigating agencies . “Actions of certain central government agencies have overstepped the constitutional contours and are impeding the development activities and flagship programmes undertaken by the state.”
Separately, Speaker’s secretary, K Ayyappan, appeared before the customs for questioning on Friday.
The customs department, which is part of the multi-agency team probing the gold smuggling case, which surfaced in July last year, is set to question the Speaker after it obtained legal advice that House privilege won’t be applicable in such cases, officials familiar with the matter said.
Sreeramakrishnan had, on Thursday, said he did not think that the central investigating agencies would question him.“I am fully confident that there was no lapse from my side. So I have no anxiety,” he had said. However, he had admitted earlier that he knew the main accused Swapna Suresh as an employee of the UAE consulate.