Thiruvananthapuram: The assembly on Thursday witnessed unprecedented scenes after ruling LDF MLAs disrupted proceedings deputy opposition leader M.K. Muneer to withdraw his remarks against the proposed Women's Wall calling it as a "communal wall."
Mr Muneer while speaking on the notice for an adjournment motion had said that if Berlin Wall had collapsed this communal wall would also collapse. It provoked LDF members who created an uproar.
This led to an intense verbal duel between treasury and opposition members. Parliamentary affairs minister A.K. Balan objected to the notice for adjournment motion arguing that describing Women's Wall as communal was anti-constitutional. Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan also asked Mr Muneer not to make allegations without basing on facts. The speaker eventually allowed Mr Muneer to present the motion.
Mr Muneer criticised the government for excluding Muslim and Christian reformists and questioned the secular credentials of the wall's organising committee leaders. As the pandemonium prevailed in the House, he suspended the session for some time. When reassembled, the commotion continued, and the opposition boycotted the Zero hour.
Soon Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan quickly rushed through the proceedings and adjourned the house sine die. Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in his reply said that the wall was a step for protecting the renaissance values the state has been cherishing from long ago to save the gender equality.
It was against the propaganda being spread by a section to take the state to a dark age. He taunted Mr Muneer saying he was also expecting women from the opposition parties to take part, though there are no women MLAs in the opposition.
As the Opposition members were leaving the house raising slogans against Mr Sreeramakrishnan and Mr Vijayan, they came face to face with LDF members who shouted slogans countering them.
It resulted in a friendly spat which soon took a violent turn with a minor scuffle between CPM member V. Joy with IUML member P. K. Basheer and Congress member I. C. Balakrishnan. It was only after the intervention of senior members on both sides it ended.
The UDF members squatted on the floor for some time before leaving the house. The speaker later expressed displeasure over the uproar.
"I had tried to conciliate, but all efforts went in vain forcing me to adjourn sine die the house summoned to draft crucial pieces of legislation," he told reporters.
"It's for the members and parties to decide on the decorum that must be followed in the house."
