7 september 2024 : Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly was adjourned for the day on Monday after protests erupted following a heated exchange between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. Opposition UDF members raised slogans against the Chief Minister, allegedly climbing onto Speaker A N Shamseer’s podium and holding up a banner that obstructed his view. This led Vijayan to denounce the opposition’s actions. As the protests escalated and UDF members refused to return to their seats despite multiple requests, the Speaker decided to adjourn the House.
The government had initially intended to discuss the opposition’s adjournment notice regarding controversial remarks allegedly made by the Chief Minister about Malappuram but withdrew this decision. The session began with tensions, as the opposition expressed their dissatisfaction to Speaker Shamseer over 49 starred questions being changed to non-starred ones. After boycotting the question hour, the opposition returned just before zero hour.
Disruptions resumed when Leader of Opposition Satheesan attempted to respond to comments made by the Chief Minister and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh in his absence. He challenged the Speaker’s decision to expunge his remarks from the House records while allowing the CM’s comments to stand. This led to a heated exchange between Vijayan and Satheesan, with both sides trading accusations. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister also attempted to defend his comments against the LoP.
In response to the uproar, opposition members protested in the House, prompting the Speaker to suspend other scheduled business and adjourn the Assembly. Notably, the Assembly broadcaster, Sabha TV, did not air the protest footage. The opposition later exited the House, carrying their banner and shouting slogans against the government. Satheesan described the events in the House as “unfortunate” and claimed that many starred questions relevant to the state and national interests were downgraded to unstarred status due to interference from the Chief Minister’s Office.
Reacting to the situation, Satheesan accused the Chief Minister of behaving like a “fascist” and trying to mimic Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Law Minister P Rajeeve, speaking to reporters, dismissed the opposition’s allegations, asserting that the UDF members intentionally caused disruptions to avoid a scheduled discussion on Malappuram. He noted that the government aimed to address the issue on the Assembly floor to prevent further misunderstandings and divisions within society.
