Congress legislator A.P. Anil Kumar moved the petition under Rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Kerala Legislative Assembly accusing the duo of breaching parliamentary privilege
Thiruvananthapuram Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has moved Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamsheer against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and State police chief Sheikh Darvez Sahib, accusing the duo of breaching parliamentary privilege by arbitrarily unleashing the police against legislators who marched “peacefully” to the police headquarters (PHQ) on December 23.
Congress legislator A.P. Anil Kumar moved the petition under Rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Mr. Kumar is poised to move the breach of privilege motion when the Assembly convenes in 2024.
If passed by the House, the punishment entails a reprimand, imprisonment or both. Given the ruling front majority in the Assembly, the motion will likely be little more than a strong political statement and token protest against the government and State law enforcement.
Mr. Kumar said Congress had organised the march to the PHQ to protest the police action against Opposition activists flaunting black flags at the bus ferrying the cabinet to Navkerala Sada’s venues.
He said the police also aided and abetted the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] assaults on the roadside protesters.
Moreover, in Alappuzha, the Chief Minister’s security detail had assaulted Kerala Students Union (KSU) black flag protestors detained at the spot by the local police. Nevertheless, Mr. Vijayan had defended the extra-judicial action.
Nevertheless, the court in Alappuzha has ordered the registration of a case against the security officers based on a criminal miscellaneous petition moved by KSU.
Also, Mr. Kumar alleged that Mr. Vijayan repeatedly urged ruling front activists to work in tandem with the “politically partisan” police to stifle the opposition’s democratic and peaceful expressions of dissent against the cabinet’s “political outreach at the public’s expense”.
Mr. Kumar said Congress MLAs and MPs were at the vanguard of the march led by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan.
Immediately after Mr. Sudhakaran’s inaugural speech, Mr. Satheesan assumed the podium to address the protesters. At the very moment and sans any provocation, the police fired tear gas shells. They discharged water cannons without any justification or forewarning.
The police targeted Mr. Satheesan, who has a Cabinet rank, wilfully. Their action constituted a breach of privilege. Mr. Kumar demanded that Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Sahib be prosecuted for attempted manslaughter not amounting to a culpable bid to murder.
Earlier, Congress MPs had moved the Lok Sabha Speaker against Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Sahib on a comparable breach of Parliamentary privilege charge.
