'Attacked security personnel, Speaker failed to notice it'; CM Pinarayi Vijayan responds to chaos inside assembly

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Speaker A N Shamseer reacted to the violence created by opposition MLAs in the Assembly this morning. The Chief Minister alleged that opposition members manhandled the Watch and Ward with sticks. Pinarayi Vijayan said all of the ruling party MLAs and ministers witnessed the shocking incident while the speaker failed to notice it. The opposition protest in the assembly was over the Sabarimala gold theft.

“An MLA holding a banner hit a watch and ward with a stick, which forced the officials to react. We witnessed the incident. The sudden protest from the opposition came without any provocation. I think the speaker did not notice the opposition MLAs manhandling the watch and ward.

They tried to create a ruckus deliberately. They resorted to violence as the case could not create any impact in court or in public. The assembly should condemn the deliberate fracas created by the opposition,” said CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Meanwhile, A N Shamseer responded that democratic rights are not only for the opposition but also for the Speaker. He asked whether it was right to block the Speaker's face and sought a response from the opposition leader. In response, opposition leader V D Satheesan said that it was not the first time opposition has held up a banner, and in a normal case, it is expected of the speaker to call both sides to his chamber for talks.