India News | Cong Slams CPI, Kerala CM over Brahmapuram Fire & Scuffle in Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 23 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the ruling CPI(M) in the State and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over various issues ranging from the Brahmapuram fire to the more recent criminal action taken against UDF MLAs in connection with a scuffle in the Assembly.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly V D Satheesan said that the Kerala CM was spreading lies when he said that UDF MLAs behaved in an uncivilised manner in the House and that in their scuffle with the Watch and Ward of the Assembly staff some of the latter suffered fractures.

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Satheesan said that it was the LDF MLAs who behaved in an uncivilised manner when then UDF Finance Minister K M Mani was about to present the budget during the Oommen Chandy government's tenure.

The LoP, in an apparent reference to the recent ruling by Speaker A N Shamseer deprecating the waving of placards and protests by the opposition as well as its members attempt to blockade his office, said LDF MLAs trooped into well of the House the most number of time when they were in opposition.

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Satheesan said that the Left front appears to have "forgotten history".

He also termed as false and lies the CM's stand that a watch-and-ward staff suffered a fracture in the scuffle in the Assembly last week between the UDF MLAs and marshals of the House.

Satheesan said that UDF MLAs were falsely booked in connection with the scuffle for offences which carry punishment of 10 years and more for the reason that a watch-and-ward staff suffered a fracture when the same was not true.

The LoP also accused the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) of being involved in the Life Mission scam case in which Vijayan's former principal secretary M Sivasankar is presently in jail.

He also levelled graft allegations against the CPI(M) and the Kerala CM in connection with award of contract to a private company for bio-mining at the Brahmapuram waste plant which was in the news after a fire there took several days to be extinguished and blanketed the port-city of Kochi in toxic smoke during that time.

Satheesan claimed that the contract for biomining was given to a company which had no experience in that field.

He also denied the stake of any Congress leader in the Brahmapuram plant and claimed that the party was being dragged into that by the BJP to save the CPI(M).

Besides these, Satheesan also criticised the ruling CPI(M) on how it handled the alleged sexual assault of a woman at the Kozhikode Medical College by one of its employees and the fuel cess imposed on the people by the State government.

The LoP alleged that a huge tax burden was being imposed on the people through the budget "to cover up the failure of the government to manage its finances".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)