The Hindu : Kerala News : Tumultuous start to Assembly session

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Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008
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Kerala

Tumultuous start to Assembly session

Special Correspondent

Opposition UDF forces adjournment of the House on first day
Alleges excessive use of police power against students’ agitation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The monsoon session of the Kerala Assembly got off to a tumultuous start on Monday with the Opposition UDF forcing adjournment of the proceedings over ‘excessive’ use of power by the police against Opposition student and youth activists across the State last week when handling the stir over controversial portions of school textbooks.

The Opposition termed the police action, in which several KSU activists and two MLAs, T. N. Prathapan of the Congress and Thomas Chaizhikadan of the Kerala Congress(M), were injured, as the worst in the State’s history. Mr. Prathapan, with his left arm in heavy bandage, was present in the House.

Hitting out at the Opposition, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the violence in different parts of the State was pre-planned and meant to plunge the State into anarchy so that public attention would get diverted from the bickering in the Opposition UDF. The police dealt with the violence with minimum force, he said.

Expressing regrets about the hurt suffered by the MLAs, he said the government had given strict instructions to the police force to offer protection to legislators. He accused Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy of having masterminded the unrest and claimed that the police had observed utmost restraint.

Mr. Chandy demanded to know how the Opposition could be blamed when the District Congress Committee office in Alappuzha was attacked by DYFI activists and the Congress office at Changanassery was vandalised by CPI(M) workers in response to the student agitation against the government.

Both he and K.C. Venugopal (Congress), who sought leave for the adjournment motion, demanded action against the police officers concerned. The Opposition members staged a walkout in the House when no response was forthcoming from the government. On his return, Mr. Chandy once again pressed the government for a response. When none was forthcoming, his Opposition colleagues moved into the well of the House shouting slogans. Speaker K. Radhakrishnan rushed through the business listed for the day disregarding the slogan shouting and adjourned the House for the day before the end of the zero hour.

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