Opposition boycotts Kerala Assembly seeking Sivankutty’s resignation

CM disrespecting apex court verdict, says Satheesan; Pinarayi retorts that the UDF govt. should have resolved issue in House itself

July 30, 2021 10:26 am | Updated 05:10 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

A criminal case has been registered against Education Minister V. Sivankutty for ‘vandalising’ the Assembly six years ago.

A criminal case has been registered against Education Minister V. Sivankutty for ‘vandalising’ the Assembly six years ago.

The Assembly session on Friday got off to a stormy start with the Opposition remaining firm on their demand for the resignation of General Education Minister V. Sivankutty. With the government rejecting the demand, the Opposition boycotted the proceedings for the day.

Mr. Sivankutty has come in the cross hairs of the Opposition after the Supreme Court turned down the government’s plea to withdraw the criminal case registered against him and other Left Democratic Front (LDF) legislators for allegedly vandalising the Assembly six years ago.

Slogans raised

Soon after the Question Hour began, United Democratic Front (UDF) members began to raise slogans against the government’s refusal to heed their demand. Speaker M.B. Rajesh’s appeal for calm went in vain.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who demanded that the government clarify its position on the issue, accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of disrespecting the Supreme Court’s judgement that is considered the law of the land.

Lashing out at the government’s stance that the Minister need not resign merely because a case has been registered against him, Mr. Satheesan said the LDF had created ruckus and destroyed public property in the Assembly while demanding the then Finance Minister K.M. Mani’s resignation after a FIR had been registered against him.

Mr. Vijayan said the then UDF government should have ideally resolved the issue within the House, instead of assigning the case to the police. Pointing out that former Ministers E.P. Jayarajan and K.T. Jaleel, who were also named accused in the case, could complete their terms during the rule of the previous government, he demanded that Mr. Sivankutty be permitted to continue until the Supreme Court completed its trial.

‘A wrong precedent’

Claiming that the case against the LDF legislators had set a wrong precedent, the Chief Minister said the government would pursue legal means against the case, even while remaining firm to its commitment in abiding by the Supreme Court directives.

Earlier, Congress legislators P.T. Thomas and Roji M. John forwent their opportunity to pose supplementary questions to Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran on the Muttil tree-felling case.

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