For the third straight day, the Kerala Assembly descended into pandemonium on Wednesday, with the spotlight firmly on the controversial Sabarimala gold theft investigation. The ruling CPI(M)-led coalition and Congress-dominated opposition traded barbs, turning the house into a battleground of accusations and counter-accusations.
UDF leaders charged that the Pinarayi Vijayan administration is hell-bent on wrapping up the probe hastily to bury inconvenient truths before elections. V.D. Satheesan, the opposition chief, spearheaded slogan-shouting protests, alleging the entire investigation was ‘manipulated’ to exonerate bigwigs. He lambasted the CM’s lighthearted reference to prior brawls as ‘jokes,’ urging stricter house discipline.
Satheesan pressed for deletion of offensive references to Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi from proceedings, a plea swiftly rebuffed by Minister M.B. Rajesh. ‘No insults were hurled from our side,’ Rajesh declared, flipping the script by blaming Congress for electoral opportunism.
Minister P. Rajeev upped the ante, probing the alleged ties between chief suspect Unnikrishnan Potti and Congress heavyweights. Ruling MLAs waved photographs as ‘evidence,’ only for opposition to counter with pics of Potti alongside LDF leaders, underscoring perceived hypocrisy.
The rancorous debate halted proceedings repeatedly, ending with UDF’s dramatic exit. With 13 arrests logged, the court-mandated SIT’s failure to submit charges within 90 days freed three suspects on bail, fueling opposition cries of sabotage.
Government spokespersons reiterated commitment to a fair, court-supervised inquiry, dismissing delays as procedural. This flare-up signals deepening political fissures, with the Sabarimala saga poised to dominate Kerala’s pre-election discourse.