Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allegedly body-shamed an Opposition MLA on the floor of the assembly today during the discussion on the Sabarimala gold misappropriation row that has been rocking state’s political scene.
Vijayan made the remark allegedly mocking the MLA’s height while responding to the Opposition. Notably, Kerala’s Congress-led Opposition has been disrupting the assembly for three consecutive days, and it led to clashes with the Watch and Ward staff today. The Opposition staged a walkout today, too.
While speaking about the Opposition’s actions in the assembly, the chief minister said: “There is a saying in our place—ettu mukkal atti vechappole (a colloquial expression that can be loosely translated as ‘like eight three-quarter coins stacked up’)—that is how that person is. Yet, that Opposition MLA came charging to attack the Watch and Ward. Everyone can see that the person does not have the build for such an attack. But that person went on to attack under the protection this assembly provides. The Opposition even tried to attack a female Watch and Ward staffer.”
It is not yet clear whom the CM was referring to, but speculations are rife that he was alluding to a woman MLA who is still recovering from a serious accident she suffered during a public event. Notably, a section of treasury bench MLAs clapped when the CM made this comment on the assembly floor.
Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan, while talking to the media later, reportedly slammed the CM’s remark. “How tall should a person be? Does the Chief Minister have a measuring tape with him? This is a politically incorrect statement. A person’s poor health or dwarfism should not become a subject of ridicule.”
Vijayan also mocked MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who recently faced a setback in the Supreme Court, without naming him. On October 6, the apex court dismissed a petition filed by the Congress legislator seeking a vigilance probe into the alleged monthly payment transactions between the controversial firm CMRL and Exalogic Solutions, the now-defunct IT company owned by the CM’s daughter, Veena T.
The Opposition in Kerala has been disrupting assembly proceedings, demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan and the suspension of the current Travancore Devaswom Board. They cite the Kerala High Court’s findings, which revealed shocking details of asset misappropriation in Sabarimala and led to an order to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. Notably, CM Vijayan, who had remained silent on the issue until now, spoke on it for the first time today.
He said that the Speaker had taken a stance highly conducive to the smooth functioning of the assembly, yet the Opposition continuously refused to heed his repeated requests. “Sir, what stood out the most was how they deliberately blocked our view of you from that seat—it was a conscious act by the Opposition to completely obscure you from the view of the House. Sir, such an incident has never happened before in Kerala. Across the country, there have been various forms of parliamentary protests, but never has any Opposition gone so far as to completely block the Speaker from the view of the assembly,” he said.
Since October 6, the Opposition has been blocking the Speaker’s view with flex boards branding the LDF as “temple thieves”. They also disrupted the Question Hour—a rare move—demanding the resignation of the Devaswom minister and a CBI investigation into the Sabarimala row.
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Notably, on Wednesday morning, the Speaker had called a meeting with representatives from both the ruling front and the Opposition to reach a consensus for the smooth functioning of the assembly. “Following your instructions, all the leaders from the ruling side arrived at the time you specified. However, we noticed that the Opposition members were not present. When you inquired about their absence, your office contacted the Leader of the Opposition, and that’s when it was conveyed that they were boycotting the meeting. Sir, that was a clear message — they are not ready for any kind of consensus,” said the CM.
Vijayan also said that the Opposition has yet to make clear what their exact demand is. “What are they afraid of? We are ready to respond to any question they raise, ready to provide clarifications—so what are they afraid of?” He added that the Opposition could have raised their concerns through any parliamentary procedure, including an adjournment motion. Interestingly, on September 19, the Opposition had submitted a request for an adjournment motion on the same issue, but it was rejected at the time as the matter was sub-judice.
The CM notably welcomed the High Court’s directive to form a Special Investigation Team, saying the investigation would be carried out impartially and that no culprit would be spared. He added that since the Opposition has nothing substantial left to say, they are resorting to theatrics in the assembly. |
