Opposition disrupts Assembly: House adjourned for the day

Thiruvananthapuram, July 17 (UNI) The Congress-led Opposition disrupted proceedings of the Kerala Assembly today, forcing Speaker K Radhakrishnan to adjourn the House till tomorrow after rushing through the business listed for the day.

Opposition legislators trooped into the Well of the House after Mr Radhakrishnan declined leave for an adjournment motion which alleged the government's ''growing intolerance'' towards criticism and ''suppression'' of its detractors using government machinery.

Though the Speaker agreed to allow a submission if notice was given on specific issues instead of generalising, the Opposition did not heed his request and staged a walkout in the Zero Hour.

They returned to the House when Mr Radhakrishnan began to take up submissions listed for the day and insisted that the subject raised in the notice for the adjourment motion should be allowed to be raised as submission.

However, he ruled that he could not allow a submission on the issue as they staged a walkout ignoring his request earlier. The agitated Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans and stalled the proceedings of the Assembly.

Notwithstanding the Opposition protest, the Speaker called Revenue Minister K P Rajendran to make a special statement on the monsoon calamities and allowed Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem and Minister for Ports M Vijayakumar to present the Budgetary Demands for Grants for their departments, which the House passed without discussion.

The House was later adjourned for the day while the Opposition members continued slogan shouting from the Well of the House.

Leading the walkout earlier, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy alleged that the government was becoming more and more intolerant towards criticism and its machinery was being used to ''suppress'' those raising allegations against it.

Apparently referring to the Vigilance probe against Pradesh Congress Committee President Ramesh Chennithala, he alleged ''heinous attempts'' on the part of the government to silence the media, courts and public leaders by misusing government machinery.

UNI