Kerala Governor reads out remarks against central farm laws in policy address to assembly; Opp UDF boycotts

The budget session of theKerala Assembly began on a stormy note on Friday as oppositionUDF staged a protest against Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan overdollar the smuggling case and boycotted the policy address byGovernor Arif Mohammad Khan, who flayed the contentiouscentral farms laws.

Sticking to the policy address of the CPIM-led LDFgovernment, Khan read out in full the remarks against thefarmlaws, against which the assembly had passed an unanimousresolution on December 31.

In his twohour and ten minutes-long address, he alsoattacked the central investigating agencies, probing variousallegations against the state government programmes, sayingthey have ''overstepped the constitutional contours''.

As Khan began his address, the Congress-led UnitedDemocratic Front (UDF) members, who came with banners andposters, raised slogans against Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan and the Speaker levelling various allegations.

They demanded the resignation of the Speaker, facing someallegations in connection with the dollar smuggling case inwhich his assistant private secretary K Ayyappan wasquestioned by the Customs in Kochi on Friday.

Customs sources said Ayyappan was summoned to crossexamine evidence it had gathered on alleged involvement ofsome ''powerful persons'' in the case.

Despite the sloganeering, the Governor began on time thecustomary address which detailed the achievements andperformances of the lone Left front government in the countryin its over four-and half-year tenure.

A visibly irritated Khan asked the opposition membersthrice to allow him fulfill his Constitutional duty, but hisplea fell on deaf ears.

''I am doing my constitutional duty...it is expected thatno obstruction will be created while the Governor isperforming constitutional duties. You have already raisedenough slogans...Don't interrupt me,'' he said.

Referring to the protest by farmers against the new laws,he said ''These agrarian laws will undermine regulated markets,result in eventual demise of minimum support price and tiltthe balance of bargaining power definitely in favour ofcorporate middle men.'' Being a consumer state, Kerala was also going to be''affected adversely'' by the Essential Commodities Actamendment and resultant hoarding and profiteering, he said.

On central agencies, he said ''Actions of certain centralgovernment agencies have overstepped the constitutionalcontours and are impeding the development activities andflagship programmes undertaken by the state. This has had ademoralising effect on honest and hard-working officers,'' theGovernor claimed.

Khan also said in such a situation ''co-operativefederalism would lose its content and remain only in form''.

Detailing various ''pro-people'' measures taken by theVijayan government, especially during COVID-19 pandemic, hesaid it started community kitchens for the needy to ensurethat none went hungry during the lockdown.

It had been distributing provision kits to ration cardholders and providing free treatment to COVID-19 patients.

Khan saidKerala's efforts in containing the pandemic hadbeen lauded globally, adding the government intends to bringdown the test positivity rate to five per cent.

''...the efforts taken by my Government have won acclaimacross the world. But we do not intend to rest on our laurels.

My Government is fully aware we have an arduous task ahead.

''We have to bring down the test positivity rate to 5 percent. We have to also bring down the number of new casesreported per day,'' he said, in apparent reference to the sharpsurge in fresh cases in recent months in the state.

The case fatality rate in Kerala at 0.4 per cent was thelowest in the country, Khan said.

While praising the officials for the smooth conduct ofthe recent local body polls, Khan said the LDF government wasable to get ''renewed confidence of the people''.

The policy address also had references against theCentre's amended Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, againstwhich the state government had taken a strong stand and aunanimous resolution was passed in the assembly.

While presenting his policy address in January last year,Khan had read out references to the anti-CAA resolution passedby the house, after making it clear that he was doing so whiledisagreeing with it.

On Friday, Khan said the state government was committedto defending the spirit of the Constitution, which is thecornerstone of the democracy.

He said the government has decided to provide supply ofessential article kits comprising food grains, pulses amongothers to all ration card holders which entailed a monthlyfinancial commitment of around Rs 400 crore.

It undertook the mammoth exercise of providing food andessentials to 84 lakh families, Khan said.

He said the government was committed to the welfare ofmigrant workers in the State and the Department ofLabour andSkills played a very active role in managing theirrequirements, including food, during the lockdown.

After boycotting Khan's address, the UDF members squattedin the portal of the assembly hall and raised slogansdemanding resignation of the chief minister and the Speaker.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala told reportersthat it was the first time in the history of the stateassembly that the Speaker ''is facing such serious charges.'' ''In the last five years, the LDF government had madeseveral promises, but none have been implemented,'' he alleged,adding the UDF would continue its protest during the entiresession, the last of the present assembly as elections arelikely in April-May.

Activists of the Yuva Morcha, youth wing of BJP, alsotook out a march to the assembly demanding the resignation ofthe Speaker. Police used water cannons to disperse them.

Lone BJP member O Rajagopal was the only opposition memberto sit through the Governor's address.