Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. (File Photo: IANS)
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 9 (IANS) The Kerala assembly was adjourned for the day on Tuesday following some remarks made by the leader of opposition V.S. Achuthanandan about the family members of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with regard to the 'solar scam'.
The senior CPI-M leader made the remarks, leading to protests from the treasury benches, after Speaker N. Sakthan disallowed an adjournment motion moved by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, another legislator from CPI-M, to discuss the latest revelations in the scam.
Trouble started after Achuthanandan linked Saritha Nair, the second accused in the solar scam, with the family members of Chandy.
The ensuing altercation between the treasury benches and the opposition then prompted Sakthan to stop the proceedings for a while.
During this interval, the leaders of the rival fronts discussed the issue with each other but could not come to a consensus, Sakthan said upon the resumption of the proceedings.
Later Achuthanandan got up and completed his speech and demanded that time be allowed for the adjournment motion. When the speaker disallowed it, the entire opposition members trooped to the well of the house, forcing the speaker to wind up the day's proceedings.
Earlier, Balakrishnan said that Chandy has misled the assembly by saying something in the assembly and the opposite of that in his deposition before the solar scam probe commission.
"Even after a court asked a case to be registered against Chandy and his cabinet colleague Aryadan Mohammed for accepting a bribe... this government is surviving on stays being obtained from the courts. He has to step down in the wake of the serious allegations that have now surfaced," said Balakrishnan.
Chandy said that it's most unfortunate that things have touched such a low on the floor of the house.
"We are not running away from any probe, but you are riding on mere allegations levelled by two people (Saritha Nair and her business partner Biju Radhakrishnan) who are trapped in more than 33 cheating cases and a murder case," the chief minister said.
"Is it not quite natural that when my government, unlike yours, took stern steps against these two people, they will come out with revelations. You should not ride on it," said Chandy.
State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told the house that there is not a single case that's there now against either Chandy or any others in the solar scam case.
"It's most unfortunate that our chief minister, a person with almost 50 years of public life, whose track record and integrity is impeccable is being haunted by baseless allegations," said Chennithala.
This is the last session of the house before the next assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Saritha Nair on Tuesday submitted to the probe commission a sealed cover and a pen drive that is said to contain evidence that she and Biju Radhakrishnan got benefits from the Chandy government while being engaged in the solar panel business which collapsed in 2014 when the scandal became publicly known.
