Oppn walks out of assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: The government refused to admit the notice seeking admission for an adjournment motion regarding the arrest of former MLA and Youth Congress leader K S Sabarinadhan in the assembly on Wednesday.
Deputy speaker Chittayam Gopakumar observed that the matter does not demand urgency and that it under the consideration of the court. Objecting to the notice, law and industries minister P Rajeeve said the rules clearly say that matters which are under the consideration of courts should not be the subject of the adjournment motion.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan countered the government stand, and cited examples from the past when such matters were taken up for discussion by the assembly, even when those were pending before the courts.
He said during the tenure of the previous UDF government, the notices seeking leave for adjournment motion regarding the solar case were taken up seven times, and those regarding the bar bribery case were taken up four times by the assembly. He said the ruling front should not cite rules and precedence in the assembly according to their convenience. He said whether to discuss the subject in the adjournment motion or not is the decision of the government but admitting the notice seeking leave for adjournment motion is the right of the opposition which should not be curtailed.
The deputy speaker said Sabarinath has already been granted bail by the court, adidng that Shafi Parambil, who had sought leave for adjournment motion, can raise the subject as a submission.
The opposition leader responded that the government is scared of adjournment motion and the chief minister is behaving like a coward.
He said the government should learn from former chief minister Oommen Chandy who had never refused to discuss any subject when it came up in the assembly. The opposition staged a walkout protesting the deputy speaker’s decision.