Kerala Assembly adjourned amid Opposition ruckus over gold smuggling case, attack on Rahul Gandhi's office

Kerala Assembly session on Monday adjourned for the day after opposition leaders started raising slogans inside the assembly on the allegations of the gold smuggling case and also the attack by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad office.

Kerala Assembly session on Monday adjourned for the day after opposition leaders started raising slogans inside the assembly on the allegations of the gold smuggling case and also the attack by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad office. Congress MLAs came to Kerala Assembly wearing black shirts.

United Democratic Front (UDF) MLAs raised slogans over the gold smuggling case and the attack by SFI on Rahul Gandhi's office. The opposition raised slogans, banners, and placards after which the Speaker had to adjourn the Assembly proceedings for the day.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty said, "The proceeding of the House of stalled. Deliberately with the knowledge of the Chief Minister and his office they managed to attack the office of Rahul Gandhi. The police were giving assistance to the criminal." Earlier on Friday, over 100 SFI workers allegedly marched into the office of Gandhi at Kalpetta, headquarters of Wayanad district. Indian Youth Congress, in a tweet, alleged that "the goons held the flags of SFI" as they climbed the wall of Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad office and vandalised it.

The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019. After spending 16 months behind bars, the prime accused in the case Swapna Suresh was released from jail in November last year. The case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the customs department.

Earlier this year, Swapna Suresh had alleged that she was exploited and manipulated by M Sivasankar, principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The statements came after Sivasankar in his upcoming autobiography "Aswathamavu: Verum Oru Aana" alleged that Swapna had trapped him by gifting him an iPhone.

Sivasankar was arrested on October 28, 2020, after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition. Sivasankar was released on bail on February 4, last year. (ANI)

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