Kerala Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer ended the day’s proceedings in the Legislative Assembly in just about 50 minutes on Thursday after continuous protests by the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). The members were protesting inside the House over the Sabarimala gold theft issue.
As soon as the session began at 9 a.m. with the Question Hour, UDF members moved into the well of the House and started raising slogans. They demanded answers from the government regarding the alleged gold theft linked to Sabarimala. Their protest created loud scenes and disrupted normal proceedings.
Despite the chaos, the Assembly continued with some official business. Amid the noise and protests, the Kerala Appropriation Bill was introduced and passed without any discussion. The bill allows the government to withdraw money from the state treasury to meet its expenses.
The Assembly also adopted a resolution asking the Union government to withdraw the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G). The state government demanded that the Centre restore the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which provides wage employment to rural workers.
As the protests did not stop, the Speaker decided to end the session early. He announced that the Budget Session of the Assembly would reconvene on February 23.
The brief sitting highlighted the tense atmosphere in the House, with opposition protests affecting regular legislative work.