Headlines
It's a black day for Kerala assembly: Chandy
Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 : Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Friday described as "a black day" the violence that rocked the state assembly.
"Our assembly has witnessed lot of friction earlier when the rival fronts have lost their temper. But what happened today has never been witnessed in the history of our assembly," he told the media.
"Our speaker (N. Sakthan) was prevented from addressing and his podium was ransacked and destroyed by opposition legislators. This is a black day in the history of the Kerala assembly," he said.
The assembly witnessed unruly scenes as members of the Left broke the speaker's chair and electronic equipment to register their protest against Finance Minister K.M. Mani, who they did not want to present the budget.
The finance minister had to be escorted by the ruling United Democratic Front and a huge battery of Watch and Ward Staff so that he could read out the budget.
Trouble had been brewing since Thursday afternoon when all the Left legislators stayed back for the night to ensure that Mani was not allowed to enter the assembly.
They have been accusing him of taking a bribe of Rs.1 crore to reopen the closed down bars in the state and have demanded his resignation.
Mani chose to remain in the assembly Thursday night.
Sakthan told reporters that he was deeply saddened over what had happened.
"We tried our best to tell the Left (to have a) democratic form of protest but they crossed all levels of (toleration)," he said. "Such a thing has never ever happened in the assembly."
Marxist leader and former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan said close to 20 Left legislators have been roughed up by the security staff of the assembly and many were receiving medical care.
4 hours ago
Don't invite Zakir Naik again, say furious Pakistanis after Islamic preacher's controversial remarks
4 hours ago
Biden postpones foreign trip as Hurricane Milton expected to hit Florida
11 hours ago
The harassment is not going to end: Prachi Tehlan discusses the Malayalam film industry’s scandals – and more
12 hours ago
Lotus blooms for 3rd time in Haryana as truth & good governance won: PM Modi on BJP's hat-trick
13 hours ago
After Haryana poll win, Amit Shah hits out at Rahul Gandhi for tarnishing India's image abroad
13 hours ago
Haryana: Residents express elation as BJP secures majority in elections
14 hours ago
Against ground reality...not possible for us to accept: Congress rejects Haryana assembly results, says will move EC
14 hours ago
'Big achievement for AAP': Gopal Rai on AAP's maiden victory in J&K's Doda
15 hours ago
Republicans Fail in Attempt to Prevent Pennsylvania Voters from Correcting Mail-in Ballots
16 hours ago
President Herzog Praises U.S. President Biden as a "True Friend of Israel" for Strong Support Amid Ongoing War
16 hours ago
Hurricane Milton Intensifies to Category 5, Says U.S. National Hurricane Center
16 hours ago
Karine Jean-Pierre Elevated to Senior Adviser Role from White House Press Secretary
16 hours ago
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics for Breakthroughs Enabling Machine Learning