Opposition should correct its mistake: CM

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 24. The Chief Minister, Mr. A.K. Antony, said here today that the Opposition was creating an unprecedented and unacceptable situation by agitating inside the Assembly to force the House to change its decision to suspend three members.

Addressing a press conference here, the Chief Minister said that never before had the House withdrawn suspension of members as the Opposition staged an agitation. However, if the Opposition had stopped disrupting the proceedings and participated in them on Monday, reduction of the duration of the suspension by the House could have been discussed.

Mr. Antony recalled that Mr. M.V. Raghavan and Mr. M.A. Kuttappan, had been suspended in the past. But none had stalled the proceedings over that.

The Chief Minister said he had replied to a letter from the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. V.S. Achuthanandan, on the issue, noting that the Speaker, Mr. Vakkom Purushothaman, had not denied Mr. Achuthanandan an opportunity to speak on denial of permission to move an adjournment motion. The Speaker had promised him an opportunity to speak later. Moreover, the Speaker had not done anything wrong in denying permission to move the motion.

The adjournment motion was over an issue that had its origin during the administration of the LDF. Dr. Thomas Issac (CPI-M), who had moved the motion, himself had pointed out that work on the one lakh houses under the Total Housing Scheme was at a standstill for the past one year. The project was stalled as the HUDCO assistance was diverted during the LDF rule. The financial problem, which was the result of financial indiscipline by the previous Government, was also responsible for the situation.

The Revenue Minister, Mr. K.M. Mani, had earlier told the House that the Government had taken steps for the resumption of assistance from HUDCO. Besides, the Speaker had permitted Mr. P.S. Supal, to raise the issue as a submission the previous day. However, Mr. Supal had not used the opportunity.

The suspension of the three MLAs, he said, was decided upon by the House not because of the attack on the Transport Minister, Mr. K.B. Ganesh Kumar, alone. The suspended members had behaved in an unruly manner in the House disregarding the ruling of the Speaker, disrupted proceedings, misbehaved with women employees of the Legislature Secretariat and climbed upon tables and shouted threats against the Speaker.

Mr. Antony regretted that the Opposition leader himself was using unparliamentary words against the Speaker.

He had even described the Speaker as an executioner. Disruption of the proceedings would not solve any problem. The Opposition should correct its mistake and allow the proceedings to go on.

Asked whether the faction fight within the CPI(M) was responsible for the aggressive attitude of the Opposition leader, the Chief Minister said such a talk was there within the party.

He said that there was no problems within the Congress over halting of the Kerala Water Supply Project funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. All were free to air their view in the party.

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Section  : Southern States
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