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Thiruvananthapuram: Tension escalated in the Kerala Assembly on Thursday when Speaker AN Shamseer suspended three Congress MLAs Rosie M. John, M. Vincent and Sanish Kumar following a confrontation in which the Chief Marshal was injured.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister MB Rajesh had recommended suspension citing serious violation of assembly discipline.
The clash took place amid opposition protests over several issues including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s body-shaming remarks and the controversial sale of the Sabarimala gold-plated Dwarapalaka idol.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan highlighted these issues in the House, accusing ministers and ruling party MLAs of making unparliamentary comments while the Speaker allegedly remained inactive.
Satheesan also claimed that watch-and-ward personnel were used to intimidate opposition members.
“The opposition protest was peaceful, demanding the resignation of minister VN Vasavan and the removal of Devaswom board members,” Satheesan said.
He also called for action against those involved in theft and sale of temple idols.
Following Satheesan’s statement, opposition members marched into the Assembly hall, raising slogans and waving banners that read, “LDF’s alchemy turned Ayyappa’s gold into copper.”
The president directed officials to confiscate the banners, although enforcement was partially ineffective.
Minister Rajesh accused the opposition of showing hooliganism during the proceedings.
As tensions escalated, verbal clashes broke out between ruling and opposition members and watch-and-ward personnel blocked attempts by opposition MLAs to reach the Speaker’s dais.
Due to the disruption, the assembly proceedings were adjourned for some time. Although the House reconvened later, the opposition boycotted the rest of the session.
The incident follows a previous controversy in which the Chief Minister had mocked the short stature of an opposition MLA to indicate the MLA’s physical limitations in facing the watch-and-ward staff, including a woman marshal.
The remarks had sparked opposition protests, which are continuing both inside and outside the Assembly.
The suspension of the three MLAs marks the latest escalation in a series of protests and confrontations that have underlined the rising political tension in the Kerala Assembly.
–IANS