The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition boycotted the Assembly on Thursday after Speaker M.B. Rajesh "bluntly blocked" their attempt to resurrect the politically stormy UAE diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case.
Mr. Rajesh "unreservedly spurned" Congress legislator Shafi Parambil's notice to adjourn the House for an emergency debate on the "disclosures" made by prime suspect Swapna Suresh in a combative and headline-grabbing television interview early February.
Mr. Rajesh saw no pressing situation to discuss the matter, which he said was currently within the purview of various courts. The chair denied Mr. Shafi the floor, prompting UDF legislators to troop into the well and protest in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
Mr. Rajesh halted the proceedings briefly and invited the ruling front and Opposition for a discussion to break the stalemate.
Later, he allowed Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan to state his case in the Assembly. Nevertheless, the UDF lawmakers raised banners and slogans against the government and trooped out of the House.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) had perceived an Opposition bid to reshape the political narrative against the government by attempting to mire down Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a "bygone scandal" "categorically rejected" by the people in the 2021 Assembly election.
The LDF had believed the gold case was behind when Swapna raised an explosive allegation that M. Sivasankar, a co-accused in the case and former Principal Secretary to Mr. Vijayan, had persuaded her to make a "pre-scripted" recording on a jailor's mobile phone suggesting that the Chief Minister was innocent of the crime. She alleged that Mr. Sivasankar was complicit in the crime and had helped her flee Kerala after the Customs busted the racket.
Mr. Satheesan said Swapna's revelations had petrified the government. Mr. Vijayan feared that a probe could open up a can of worms.
Mr. Satheesan slammed the Speaker for denying the Opposition's privilege to demand an adjournment motion under rule 50 to debate a matter of public interest. The Assembly had discussed the solar scam and bar bribery case when the LDF was in the Opposition. The gold case probe had petered out after Mr. Vijayan struck a symbiotic association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
