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After an uproar during the twelfth session of the 15th Kerala legislative assembly on Monday, Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor TP Ramakrishnan criticized the Opposition for taking a "stance of disrespect" towards Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
"What transpired in the Assembly was a challenge to the democratic consciousness of the people. The government was ready to discuss the adjournment motion, but it was brought forth only to insult the Chief Minister. The Leader of Opposition is leading this effort to disparage the Chief Minister. The stance taken by the Opposition is one of disrespect, not just towards the Chief Minister but towards everyone." Earlier in the session, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan accused the Speaker and the government of sidelining important issues of state and national interest and denying the opposition the right to raise critical questions after 45 starred questions were downgraded for the question hour. In response, Speaker AN Shamseer clarified that, according to Assembly rules, questions cannot be made public until asked during the session. He defended the decision to convert the starred questions, stating that it was not a rule violation but based on the speculative nature of the questions. Despite this clarification, the opposition continued to protest, demanding accountability on significant issues, including a meeting between Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) MR Ajith Kumar and leaders of the RSS. "Isn't this of public interest? How can this be deemed unimportant?" Satheesan questioned, but the Speaker proceeded with the question hour without providing a direct answer. Ramakrishnan further claimed that the opposition was violating the rules and procedures. "The opposition leader is adopting a position that goes against the rules and procedures. Opposition MLAs forcefully approached the Speaker's dais, and had the Watch and Ward not intervened, they would have attacked the Speaker. People need to understand this and stand on the side of justice. The government's decision to allow the motion to be discussed was made with good intent, but even within the opposition, not all MLAs agree with their leader's position," he added. The 12th session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly commenced on Friday, October 4, but the House was adjourned on the first day after paying homage to the victims of the Wayanad landslide tragedy. The session began on a confrontational note on Monday, with the opposition UDF boycotting the question hour in protest. (ANI)
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