(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The opposition stormed the speakers dais forcing Deputy Speaker N Sakthan to adjourn the house for the day.
KERALA’S COMMUNIST Party of India - Marxist (CPM)-led opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) stepped up their campaign against Finance Minister K M Mani in the bar graft case by disrupting the proceedings in the state assembly on Tuesday.
The opposition which confined their protests to a walkout on the opening day of the winter session on Monday went a step further and stormed the speaker’s dais forcing Deputy Speaker N Sakthan to adjourn the house for the day. Before adjourning the house he suspended CPM legislator V Sivankutty for the day and censored four others.
Trouble started after opposition leader V S Achuthanandan raised a submission seeking a probe into the charges after registering a first information report (FIR) after the zero hour. The charge that Mani had received a bribe of Rs10 million from bar owners is currently under quick verification of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).
The CPM veteran accused the government of shielding the minister who belongs to the third largest constituent of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF). He said that a probe by an agency under the state government had no relevance after the cabinet and the ruling front gave a clean chit to the minister.
Though Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala maintained that there was no move on the part of the government to sabotage the probe LDF members trooped into the well of the House and started raising slogans against the government. Ten members led by Sivankutty climbed on to the speaker’s podium and snatched the microphone installed in front of the speaker. Even though the house was adjourned temporarily for more than an hour after the pandemonium and the deputy speaker held a meeting of leaders of all parties they could not reach an agreement on the smooth conduct of further proceedings.
When the house reassembled Chief Minister Oommen Chandy moved a resolution seeking suspension of Sivankutty and censor of four other CPM members T V Rajesh R Rajesh Babu M Pallissery and P Sivarakrishnan.
Earlier during question hour the opposition members had staged a walkout alleging that the minister had failed to give proper replies to the questions on the state of the government’s finances. The opposition had intensified their campaign against Mani by filing a petition in the high court seeking a probe on the bribery charges against him and staging a walkout in the Assembly demanding his resignation from the ministry.
Meanwhile in a big setback to the government the high court on Tuesday directed the government to grant license to 22 bars in the four-star category. These are among 418 bars lying closed since April 1 2014 and 292 bars subsequently shut by the state government under its new liquor policy.
The order may also force the government to issue licenses to fresh four-star hotels in future. The high court had passed the order on a petition filed by the bar owners challenging the liquor policy. The high court had last week all bars above the four star category to function till January 12. — newskhaleejtimes.com
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