'Are you Maharaja?', 'No I am a servant of the people'; Satheesan-Pinarayi verbal duel in Assembly

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a war of words, opposition leader VD Satheesan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clashed at the Legislative Assembly. The verbal confrontation began after the opposition's call for an adjournment motion against SFI's atrocities was denied. LoP VD Satheesan sneered at CM Vijayan and said, "You are not Maharaja (king) but a Chief Minister" to which the Chief Minister replied that he is not a maharaja but a servant of the people.

"You are the Chief Minister elected by the people. You felt like a maharaja when you travelled as part of Navakerala Sadas. But you are not a maharaja, you are the Chief Minister of Kerala," VD Satheesan said.

The Chief Minister then responded to this by interfering with VD Satheesan's speech. 'I am not a maharaja. I am a servant of the people. I have always been with the people. I will do anything for the people. I'm with the people and is their servant," he replied.

After Chief Minister's response, VD Satheesan repeated that he is not a maharaja but the Chief Minister.

"When Siddharth died, people in Kerala thought that such an incident would never happen again. But similar incidents are repeating again," Satheesan said referring to the developments at the Karyavattom campus.

"The Kerala Chief Minister himself is giving license to SFI to beat anyone and let the people judge," he added.

'The dirty politics of hatching goons will destroy you. SFI even attacked the principal of Koyilandy College. The area secretary of SFI said that the principal's leg will be hacked,' he alleged.

The LoP asked whether this was Kerala, to which the ruling party member created an uproar in the House. After that, the opposition members also got up from their seats.

"A person who worked in the CPM's teachers' organization for 29 years joined the BJP due to SFI's violence. She was the candidate in Alathur," Satheesan said.

Following the heckling inside the House, the speaker intervened. VD Satheesan clarified that he would only stop after saying the entire thing. He further said that there is no one to control the SFI in Kerala's campuses.