THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The gold smuggling case and the revelation of key accused Swapna Suresh that the audio clip absolving the chief minister was fabricated at the behest of M Sivasankar created a ruckus in the assembly. Saving the chief minister from tough questions on Thursday, speaker MB Rajesh denied permission to an adjournment motion and this led to some tense moments in the assembly between the ruling front and the opposition.
Congress MLA Shafi Parambil had sought a leave for adjournment motion to discuss Swapna’s revelation that Sivasankar and the police had conspired to create the audio clip in which she had said that she was pressurized to reveal the CM’s name in the gold smuggling case.
However, the speaker said that the matter is sub-judice and under investigation and the motion cannot be permitted. Protesting the speaker’s decision, opposition leader VD Satheesan said that it is the right of the opposition to seek leave for an adjournment motion under Rule 50 on matters that are important.
The rights of the opposition cannot be denied in a democratic system. But, Rajesh said the matter was disposed of and won’t be reconsidered, moving to the next business. The opposition then began shouting slogans and descended into the well of the assembly shouting slogans against the speaker and the chief minister. Some members also raised a banner blocking the view of the speaker, demanding that the CM should end his silence.
The speaker said that raising a banner to block his view went against the rules, but opposition members refused to listen. The speaker then temporarily suspended proceedings for 30 minutes and invited all legislative party leaders for discussion in his chamber.
After the assembly reconvened, Satheesan once again requested the speaker to reconsider his decision but it was declined. “The situation is such that even the opposition leader is not allowed to talk freely in the assembly and some of the ruling front members are behaving as if they have taken up the task of shutting up the opposition. We are sitting where leaders like VS Achuthanandan were seated. When they rose to speak, we patiently listened in a decent manner while in the ruling benches. The present ruling front is behaving as if they can do anything as they have a brute majority,” Satheesan said. Opposition members then boycotted the day’s proceedings in protest and left the assembly shouting slogans.
