Thiruvananthapuram: Assembly on Tuesday witnessed chaos as the treasury and opposition benches engaged in a verbal duel over the alleged financial fraud of CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's elder son Binoy Balakrishnan in Dubai. They were seen shouting at each other and speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan appealing for calm. Citing previous rulings, Mr Sreeramakrishnan requested the opposition not to move leave for an adjournment motion as Balakrishnan was not part of the assembly or the state government. However, Congress legislator Anil Akkara persisted as the case registered against Binoy Balakrishnan in Dubai had made a massive dent in the image of the Kerala diaspora in West Asia.
Bineesh, another son of Mr Balakrishnan, was also facing cases in Dubai, besides the sons of ruling legislators Vijayan Pillai and E, P, Jayarajan. "These incidents highlighted the fall of the CPM," he said. However, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed it as a concerted attempt to raise unwanted issues with an aim to tarnish the image of the CPM and its leadership. “One should not behave like in a fish market," he said referring to Mr Akkara equating the treasury benchers disrupting him to a local fish market.
Mr Vijayan accused him of having involved in a cheating case, which leader of the opposition dared him to prove. He also referred to allegations against sons of Congress leaders and former ministers Vayalar Ravi and P. Chidambaram and the son of BJP president Amit Shah and claimed that they did not figure in the discussions on the floor. Mr Chennithala expressed surprise that the CPM leaders were speaking of morality forgetting the issues raised by them while UDF was in office.
The person who was the opposition leader made unsavoury remarks against the family of the then chief minister Oommen Chandy without any evidence. He said members of the CPM leaked the present news against Mr Balakrishnan's son as part of the factional feud. "My understanding is that the CM's reply was to his party's general secretary Sitaram Yechury," he said. Mr Jayarajan, a former minister who had to quit over nepotism charges, whom the speaker allowed to respond as his son figured in the allegations of Mr Akkara, said the need of the hour was to rein in the media that published baseless news.
"My son is now paying out money after liquidating his share in his business after the son-in-law of Atlas Ramachandran who is currently in jail in the UAE discounted his cheque. My son who tried to help someone was being hunted even though he did nothing wrong at all," said Mr Jayarajan. As the speaker refused to allow a discussion on the issue, the opposition staged a walkout.
