Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on Tuesday as the entire opposition staged a walkout after vociferously demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan over the Sabarimala gold theft case.
Raising the issue during the proceedings, opposition members accused the government of shielding those responsible and targeting the Sabarimala tantri unfairly.
Speaking for the opposition, K. Babu said the government must answer devotees on who was responsible for keeping the tantri in jail for 40 days.
He alleged that the release of the accused in the gold theft case reflected serious lapses on the part of the government.
The opposition also claimed that the action against the tantri was an act of retaliation for not cooperating with the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict on women’s entry into Sabarimala.
“If the Devaswom Minister resigns, the issue can be resolved, and the House can proceed smoothly,” K. Babu said, as members displayed banners and placards inside the Assembly and pressed for an immediate response.
As the protests intensified, the Speaker urged members to maintain order, but the opposition remained adamant, reiterating its demand for Minister Vasavan’s resignation before announcing a walkout.
Responding to the charges, Industries Minister P. Rajeev rejected the allegations and accused the opposition of playing politics.
He questioned whether the opposition “had the courage to move a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet” and asked if they could bring forward even a shred of evidence of corruption.
Rajeev asserted that the government had fulfilled its manifesto promises and dismissed the protest as politically motivated.
He termed the opposition “destructive” and accused it of opposing everything indiscriminately.
With the walkout, proceedings continued amid heightened political tensions over the Sabarimala issue.
In a related development, the Travancore Devasom Board, which hosted the controversial Global Ayyappa meet last year, has come under fire from the Kerala High Court for improper accounting and has appointed a task force for a fresh audit of the more than Rs 7 crore expenses.
The Board is likely to inform the Court that it requires some more time to submit the expense statement.
(IANS)
