Kerala Assembly Session Faces Turmoil over Question Downgrading

The Kerala Assembly experienced chaos as the opposition UDF boycotted proceedings over the downgrading of 49 'starred' questions to 'unstarred'. Despite Speaker A N Shamseer's justification, tensions escalated, leading to a protest and accusations of bias against the Speaker and the ruling government by opposition leaders.

The Kerala Assembly was thrown into chaos on Monday as Congress-led UDF members boycotted proceedings over the downgrading of their 'starred' questions to 'unstarred' ones. The second session day turned turbulent with opposition outraged at the modification of 49 questions.

Speaker A N Shamseer defended the alterations made by the Assembly Secretariat, stating there was no discrimination against the opposition members. However, unsatisfied with his explanation, UDF members protested strongly, disrupting the session with placards and slogans.

The situation further escalated as CM Pinarayi Vijayan faced interruptions from protesting members. Following heated exchanges, the Assembly's atmosphere remained charged, culminating in accusations of bias towards the government from the opposition and demands to expunge remarks from official records.

(With inputs from agencies.)