The Assembly witnessed unusual incidents on Thursday with the ruling and Opposition members running into each other and verging on exchange of blows over Deputy Leader of Opposition M.K. Muneer’s ‘communal’ statement about the human wall planned on January 1.
Mr. Muneer sought leave for an adjournment motion on the human wall. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the idea was born at a meeting of community organisations held in the wake of the Supreme Court order on Sabarimala — he added that the government would not bear the expenses for the same. He further clarified that girl students have not been told to boycott classes to join the wall.
Mr. Muneer said that people would pull down the proposed ‘communal wall’ like the way the Berlin wall was demolished. The infuriated Left Democratic Front members rushed out of their seats and disrupted Mr. Muneer’s speech, demanding that the observation be withdrawn. Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan’s assurance that comments without factual basis would be expunged did not pacify the LDF members and Mr. Muneer too refused to relent.
Mr. Sreeramakrishnan then adjourned the House as discussions failed to end the impasse.
On reassembling Mr. Sreeramakrishnan said that women members have filed a complaint against the observation and requested Mr. Muneer to repeal it, but the latter refused, evoking the protest of LDF members.
Once the din reached a frenetic pitch, Mr. Sreeramakrishnan said that he has denied leave for the motion. Enraged Opposition members then moved out of their seats raising slogans against Mr. Sreeramakrishnan and Mr. Vijayan. Before trooping out of the floor, they came face to face with LDF members who continued sloganeering to counter them. What began as a friendly spat between the members, soon took a violent turn and senior members of both sides intervened to avert a showdown.
The UDF members then squatted on the floor, raised slogans and boycotted the House. Mr. Sreeramakrishnan then completed the days’ business in haste and adjourned the Assembly.
Mr. Sreeramakrishnan later told reporters it was difficult to conduct the proceedings in the face of such protests. Sloganeering and protests are quite natural, but members coming into blows is quite unusual. The House cannot be conducted to the satisfaction of all members and all of them should take it seriously, he said.
