Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes on Tuesday over the Sabarimala gold theft case. According to reports, a clash erupted between the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Watch and Ward staff, forcing the House to adjourn abruptly.
The proceedings were marred by scuffles, a verbal spat involving a reference to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and a subsequent boycott by the opposition, who alleged that the state government was obstructing the investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft case.
The commotion escalated during Question Hour when opposition members advanced towards the Speaker’s dais. The situation worsened after Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath attempted to climb over the wooden barricade separating the well of the House and the podium, bypassing the security cordon.
Breaking protocol, Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan dodged the marshals and reached the steps leading to the Speaker’s chair, leading to a scuffle. The opposition alleged that the Watch and Ward staff used excessive force while seizing banners and assaulted the members. This claim was vehemently denied by the government.
The debate between the Treasury and the Opposition was marked by tension over the investigation into the theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple. UDF members sang a parody song asking “Who stole the gold?”, following which General Education Minister V. Sivankutty made a controversial remark linking Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to gold smuggling, implying that the Congress leadership benefited from such thefts. This enraged the opposition members, who rushed to the well of the House, blocking Speaker A.N. Shamseer’s path with banners. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan accused the government of deliberately delaying the filing of the charge sheet to enable CPI(M) leaders and the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, to secure bail. Satheesan argued that the investigation team, allegedly under pressure from the Chief Minister’s office, failed to file the charge sheet within the mandatory 90-day period. He cited recent court observations regarding delays in the forensic analysis of crucial evidence, including the idol of the deity, alleging that the investigation was being compromised to destroy evidence.
Dismissing these allegations, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the protests a ploy by the opposition to mask its political insecurity. He clarified that the investigation was proceeding under the direct supervision of a division bench of the Kerala High Court, which had expressed satisfaction with the progress of the special investigation team. Vijayan stated that the adverse remarks cited by the opposition were made by a single bench while considering a bail application and did not reflect the view of the monitoring division bench.
After the adjournment of the House, the UDF announced a boycott of the session, stating that they could not cooperate with a government accused of looting temple funds. Waving banners accusing the LDF government of “turning gold into copper,” the opposition continued its protest outside the Assembly hall.
Speaker Shamseer later criticized the manner of the protest, stating that while dissent is acceptable in a democracy, obstructing the Chair and challenging the authority of the House is unacceptable.
