‘Governor go back’: High drama in Kerala Assembly as Opposition stages walkout

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 18: High drama prevailed in the Kerala Assembly on Friday with the opposition Congress-led UDF raising "go back" slogans against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and staged a protest sit-in at the portal of the House after boycotting the proceedings.

As soon as the Governor entered the Assembly hall to deliver his customary policy address, the opposition members started sloganeering and showed a banner and a series of placards, which could be read like 'Government-Governor unholy nexus' and that he signed the Lok Ayukta ordinance to protect Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Ordinance, brought by the Left government, had kicked up a political storm in the state recently as opposition parties raised objection against it, saying it would weaken the anti-corruption watchdog.

When the Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan tried to say something, a visibly irritated Khan said it was not the time for protest.

Reminding him that the leader of opposition is a "responsible person", he said they have an Assembly session ahead of them where they can discuss everything.

Ignoring the intense sloganeering, he also started reading the policy document.

As soon as the address began, the opposition members walked out the Hall continuing their slogans and launched their sit-in at the door steps outside.

The Assembly witnessed the dramatic scenes a day after Governor Khan refused to sign the policy document of the CPI(M)-led LDF government, expressing strong displeasure over a letter written by it against the appointment of a senior journalist-turned politician in a key post in the Raj Bhavan.

The issue was resolved after the government, yielding to the Governor's pressure, replaced K R Jyothilal as principal secretary, General Administration Department (GAD) with a senior civil servant.

It was Jyothilal who had written the letter on behalf of the government to the Raj Bhavan a few days ago citing the violation of prevailing conventions in the appointment of former BJP leader Hari S Kartha as Additional Personal Assistant to the Governor.