Oppn Cong boycotts assly session for 2nd consecutive day, demanding Sivankutty's resignation

The Opposition Congress on Friday boycotted the Assembly session for the second consecutive day, demanding the resignation of Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty over a case related to the infamous ruckus incident in the Assembly in2015.

Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said the opposition was sticking to its demand for Sivankutty's resignation and are protesting against him continuing as a minister as there is a criminal case against him in connection with the ruckus incident.

''The whole ruckus was createdin the Assembly because there was an FIR against the then state Finance Minister K M Mani,'' he told the media.

The Opposition raised slogans demanding the resignation of Sivankutty during question hour itself and boycotted the proceedings.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Thursday ruled out resignation of the General Education Minister following which the opposition had boycotted the House proceedings.

The Congress-led UDF opposition raised the six-years-old incident in the Assembly on Thursday, a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a government plea seeking withdrawal of a criminal case against LDF MLAs, including Sivankutty, in connection with the ruckus.

They had said it was 'unjust' for Sivankutty to continue as a minister even after the apex court had made it clear that the Marxist leader should face judicial trial and the Chief Minister should be ready to either seek his resignation or remove him from the position on moral grounds.

Satheesan said thewhole state was 'ashamed' of the acts done by Sivankutty, who was seen walking on the tables of this Assembly.

However, Vijayan had categorically rejected their demand, saying that the court had not found any particular individual guilty or named anyone and so the issue of resignation did not come up.

Justifying the government act of approaching various courts, including the apex court, with a plea seeking withdrawal of the case involving the Left front MLAs, he had said taking criminal action against a legislator in the name of protest inside the Assembly was something generally unheard of in the country.

He had also said that the then Assembly Speaker had already taken action against the accused MLAs and suspended them from the House in this regard and that ''two punishments for a crime is against the basic tenets of our legal concept.'' The decision of the Supreme Court on the ruckus in the Kerala Assembly in 2015 has come as a jolt to the two-month- old second Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in the State.

The court on Wednesday dismissed the appeals, including the one filed by the Kerala government against the High Court order dismissing its plea seeking withdrawal of a criminal case lodged against LDF MLAs in connection with the ruckus.

The apex court had said allowing the prosecution to be withdrawn would amount to interference in the normal course of justice for illegitimate reasons.