Thiruvananthapuram | Dramatic scenes unfolded in the Kerala Assembly on Tuesday over the Sabarimala gold loss issue after a Congres MLA tried to climb onto the Speaker's Chair that forced an adjournment, the opposition declaring non-cooperation in the House and the government calling it "unfortunate" and "deplorable." Alleging interference by the Chief Minister's office in the SIT probe into the Sabarimala gold loss cases, the Congress-led UDF opposition boycotted Assembly proceedings , declaring that it would no longer cooperate with the House.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the opposition conduct as "unfortunate" and "deplorable".
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, informed Speaker A N Shamseer about the UDF's boycott decision as the House proceedings commenced.
As the opposition protest continued in the House amidst the question hour, Congress MLA Anwar Sadath suddenly attempted to climb onto the Speaker's dais, leading to Shamseer stopping the proceedings for around 30 minutes and leaving for his chamber.
Satheesan alleged that there was government interference in the probe and that even the Kerala High Court observed there was delay in filing of charge sheet in the Sabarimala gold cases by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
He said that the High Court also observed that there was a "laxity" in the SIT probe.
The LoP claimed that conditions were being created so that the accused in the two cases can come out on statutory bail and thus, "stonewall" the investigation.
He said that if the accused are released from jail, there was every possibility that the evidence in the cases would be destroyed.
Regarding the opposition conduct in the House, Satheesan said that the watch-and-ward personnel provoked the opposition by "tearing away" their banner.
He said that for all these reasons, the opposition was "completely boycotting" the House proceedings, and walked out of the assembly without waiting to hear the response of CM Vijayan.
Vijayan termed the opposition conduct as "unfortunate" and "deplorable".
The CM also said that it was the division bench of the High Court which was monitoring the SIT probe and that it has not said anything adverse about the investigation.
He also claimed that the opposition MLAs hit the watch-and-ward personnel with the stick of the banner they were holding up.
Speaker Shamseer also termed as "unfortunate" the conduct of some opposition MLAs climbing onto the dais.
He blamed the opposition MLAs for provoking the watch-and-ward staff and not the other way around.
Shamseer also termed as "purely unfair," the display of the banner in a manner which obscured his face.
He said that the House commenced peacefully, but there was provocation on the part of the opposition and asked it to introspect whether such conduct was good in a democratic system.
The House business continued in the absence of the opposition.
Earlier in the day, before the question hour commenced, Satheesan informed Shamseer about the UDF's decision not to cooperate with the assembly proceedings and to hold a protest in the House.
The Congress leader alleged that the probe by the SIT was not going anywhere "due to the pressure and interference from the Chief Minister's Office".
Opposition MLAs trooped into the well of the House and held up placards -- some of which claimed CPI(M) was protecting the accused in the two cases and that the Left party leaders stole Lord Ayyappa's gold -- in front of the Speaker's dais, shouting slogans against the LDF government.
As the opposition protest continued in the House amidst the question hour, Congress MLA Sadath tried to climb onto the Speaker's dais, prompting Shamseer to stop the proceedings for about 30 minutes and leaving for his chamber.
Subsequently, when he returned at around 10 am, Law Minister P Rajeev submitted in the House that the opposition was trying to "subvert" a proper probe into the Sabarimala gold case.
As the minister began speaking, the opposition started shouting and resumed its protest.
Rajeev alleged that it was the opposition which brought prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty into the picture to "subvert" the Global Ayyappa Sangam organised by the government last year.
"It is the opposition which knows who stole the gold from the shrine," he claimed.
After Shamseer said it was not right that some UDF MLAs tried to climb onto the Speaker's dais, Sadath again tried to repeat the act and was pushed back by the watch-and-ward personnel.
Subsequently, the watch-and-ward staff also forcibly pulled away the banner held up by the opposition MLAs in front of the dais.
Following the action by the watch-and-ward staff, more UDF MLAs tried to climb onto the dais, forcing the Speaker to again briefly adjourn the House as the ruling front legislators were seen laughing at the actions of the opposition.
The opposition intensified its protest a day after a vigilance court granted statutory bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) executive officer D Sudheesh Kumar in two cases related to the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple.
The cases relate to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates and from the gold cladding on the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
The SIT has made 12 arrests in the matter till date.
