Suspension of MLAs a political conspiracy, alleges Satheesan

PATHANAMTHITTA: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan on Thursday lashed out at the LDF government over the suspension of three UDF MLAs from the assembly, terming it a blatantly unjust and politically motivated decision executed through a conspiracy between the Speaker and the government. Addressing reporters here, Satheesan said MLAs Roji M John, M Vincent and Saneesh Kumar Joseph were suspended after the House was guillotined. They committed no offence, nor did they indulge in violence like CPI(M) members have done in the past. They neither attacked the Speaker nor attempted to storm the Speakers dais, he said. Accusing the Speaker of provoking the Opposition, he said, For the first time in the history of the Kerala Assembly, a Speaker ordered the snatching and tearing of an Opposition banner. During the UDF regimes, no Speaker ever ordered the tearing of CPM banners or placards inside the House. The Congress leader accused the chief minister and ministers of deliberately provoking the Opposition inside the House on Wednesday, and said the protest will now move to the streets. Responding to a legal notice served by former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, Satheesan said he would face it legally but asserted that his questions were valid. It was the High Court that observed the Dwarapalaka idols of Sabarimala were sold. If that is the case, who sold them? Which millionaire bought them? Satheesan asked. He accused the devaswom board and the government of trying to cover up the scandal. The High Court verdict clearly states that temple artefacts went missing since 2022 and the government was aware of it. Why was it hidden? Satheesan asked. He concluded that both the LDF government and the Travancore Devaswom Board have no defence in the temple corruption scandals.