Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

When children enacted `business of the nation'

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the stately chamber that was witness to many a historic debate, what happened on Tuesday would have been child's play. For the 140 children who flocked to the old Assembly Hall in the Secretariat to take part in the Children's Parliament organised by the Kudumbashree the `business of the nation' was no laughing matter.

The `Parliament session' got going with the customary address by the `president' K.A. Afsal. Then it was time for the swearing-in of the `newly elected' members. This was a multi-lingual affair with oaths being read out in English, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil. The house then rose as one to condole the `death' of a former member.

It was then time for the fireworks to begin as members of the `opposition' started bombarding the `government' with questions. "How many students have committed suicide because they could not get bank loans for higher education?"

``Does the government know that the highest number of such suicides take place in Kerala?"

``What is the government doing about all this... '' the question came thick and fast. The `minister's' reply that the government was in the process of "collecting all the figures" only served to further incense the opposition.

Media not spared

In the children's parliament too the media was not spared. When a member of the opposition wanted to know about the large number of deaths caused by chikungunya one enterprising minister was quick to point out that actually there had been only a few deaths and that the rest was the creation of the media. "The media is grossly exaggerating the death toll," he charged.

The `question hour' also saw the opposition grilling the `government' on such things as brain drain, using NRI income for the betterment of Indian society, the plight of endosulfan victims and on the `garbage removal and sanitation' situation in the country.

The question hour also saw the `Speaker' Athulya Ajay from Wayanad reminding many members that no point of order can be raised during the question hour and chastising members for raising provocative questions on the `floor of the house.'

The `house' then moved on to the adjournment motions. One was about child labour in the country, the other was about "last evening's terrorist attack on the genetic research laboratory in the nation's capital.' When the speaker declined to give permission to the second motion, the enraged opposition members staged a walkout shouting slogans calling for the government to resign. Actually there were two walkouts; a pointer to the divided house that the opposition was.

Then in the midst of statements by ministers, laying of papers on the table of the house and discussion on the `higher education council bill' the government also survived, 74-59, a motion of no-confidence.

After more than three hours of `business' the `house' rose for the day after passing the `Self-Financing Colleges Bill-2006'.

Earlier, Minister for Local Self- Government Paloli Mohammed Kutty inaugurated the children's parliament. Ten children— five boys and five girls— were chosen from each district to participate in today's `parliament session.'

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