Sabarimala gold row once again rocks Kerala Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 (PTI) The Congress-led opposition on Thursday disrupted the Kerala assembly proceedings yet again over the issue of alleged irregularities in the gold-plating of 'Dwarpalaka' (guardian deity) idols at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala, prompting a brief adjourment of the House.

After the Assembly resumed, the UDF opposition boycotted the proceedings.

The House was briefly adjourned by Speaker A N Shamseer as ruling front MLAs claimed that they were unable to make submissions due to the noisy protest by the UDF legislators.

There was also some push-and-pull between the opposition members and the watch-and-ward personnel.

After the assembly resumed around 10.30 am, Shamseer said the Chief Marshal of the watch-and-ward was injured and hospitalised following the push-and-pull with the opposition.

Responding, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan claimed that the Chief Marshal was the same one who had in the past made a fake injury certificate.

To this, the Speaker said that current Chief Marshal was a different person.

Satheesan also said that Shamseer was silent when ministers made inappropriate comments about the opposition in the House.

The opposition leader further said that the UDF was completely boycotting the House proceedings and if no action was taken with regard to the irregularities in the temple, protests will continue inside and outside the assembly.

After the opposition walked out of the assembly hall, the members squatted on the steps outside its doors and shouted slogans against the government on the Sabarimala gold issue and stepped outside the building.

Reacting to the opposition's protest in the House and subsequent boycott, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh remarked that Satheesan's comments indicate that he is encouraging and justifying the violence by the UDF MLAs.

He also took a dig at the opposition, saying that even though the UDF lost in the court, in the assembly, in discussions and before the people, "we are not going to make fun of them".

Rajesh said this by referring to a recent note by a child that those who win should not make fun of those who lost.

In the morning, as the House proceedings commenced at 9 AM, Satheesan stood up and said that the UDF will continue its protest on the issue which has been going on for the last three days.

He also raised the issue of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allegedly making body-shaming remarks against an opposition MLA.

He accused the Speaker of not acting in an unbiased manner, as he was okay with "whatever the ministers say, but you keep interrupting when I am speaking".

On the Sabarimala gold row, he alleged that the original idols had been sold for a huge amount and demanded action against those involved in it.

The opposition also demanded that state Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan resign and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) be dissolved.

"Till then we will continue with our protest," Satheesan said, after which members of the opposition trooped into the well of the House and held up a banner which said --gold turned into copper -- before the Speaker's podium.

At the same time, the Assembly's watch-and-ward personnel entered the House and stood as a shield in front of the Chair.

As the opposition legislators held up the banner in front of the Speaker's podium, Shamseer directed the watch-and-ward personnel to take it away as it was blocking his view of the House and the legislators would not be able to address him.

The opposition MLAs then held up the banner a little further away from the Speaker's podium.

They also shouted slogans against the ruling front, as the Assembly proceedings continued unabated.

Reacting to the opposition move, Rajesh said that Satheesan's statement was a "call for violence" and contended that his allegations against the CM were devoid of facts.

"The CM did not name anyone," he added.

Vijayan had on Wednesday mocked the short stature of an opposition MLA, without naming him, in the state assembly following the disruption of the House by the UDF.

Vijayan had used colloquial language to refer to the MLA's height and linked it to his alleged unruly behaviour in the Assembly.

He had added that the MLA acted aggressively, not because of his own physical strength, but by relying on the protection afforded to him as an MLA.

The Kerala Assembly has been witnessing uproar since Monday as the opposition UDF members have been protesting and demanding the resignation of the Devaswom minister over the Sabarimala gold-plating row.

On Wednesday, they had engaged in a scuffle with watch-and-ward personnel and boycotted the House proceedings later.

The opposition had announced in the Assembly in the morning that they would not cooperate with the House proceedings until Vasavan resigned over the alleged irregularities linked to the reduced weight of gold-plated coverings on 'Dwarapalaka' idols at the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The weight reduction was revealed during the proceedings in the Kerala High Court in connection with the claddings being again sent for gold-plating this year, but without informing the court. PTI HMP HMP SA