The Assembly on Thursday witnessed stormy scenes for the second consecutive day over the issue of suspicious financial transactions amounting to ₹1.72 crore allegedly received by the daughter of the Chief Minister. The Assembly plunged into pandemonium when Mathew Kuzhalnadan of the Congress tried to read out excerpts from an order issued by the Income Tax Interim Settlement Board during the discussion on the Kerala Land Assignment (Amendment) Bill 2023.
Provoked by the act of Mr. Kuzhalnadan, Speaker A.N. Shamseer warned him that his remarks would be expunged from Assembly records if he tries to introduce a different matter which was in no way related to the discussion of the Bill in the House. Unfazed by the Speaker’s ruling, Mr. Kuzhalnadan tried to read out the order inviting sharp criticism from the treasury benches. The legislators from the ruling side were then on their feet disrupting his speech, creating uproar in the House.
‘Irrelevant issue’
As the Speaker cited rule 77 saying that during debate one must only raise points on the Bill, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve raised a point of order stating that the member was talking on irrelevant issues and Mr. Kuzhalnadan should be stopped from delivering his speech under Rule 287 (irrelevance or repetition). But Mr. Kuzhalnadan read out the order amid the din and Speaker issued a ruling that his remarks should be expunged from the Assembly records and no media should report it. Soon after the commotion, Opposition members staged a walkout from the House, registering their protest against denying the privileges of a legislator.
Charges repeated
Later, when addressing the media outside the Assembly, he once again read out the excerpts from the order, reiterating his allegations against the daughter of the Chief Minister. “The department has demonstrated with clinching evidence the fact that the applicant (on behalf of the company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited) has made payments through banking channels to persons connected with a ‘prominent person’ and thereby claim it as a deductible expense, and by claiming to compensate a service which has not been rendered or received. Therefore the payment of ₹1,72,00,000 does not qualify as business expenditure and accordingly stands disallowed,” said the order he read out outside the Assembly. He also said he would move a breach of privilege motion against the Speaker as his privileges as a legislator were denied in the House.
