Key Points

The Assembly witnessed heightened tension as Speaker Shamseer suspended three opposition Congress MLAs, Roji M. John, M. Vincent, and Saneesh Kumar, following a confrontation that left the Chief Marshal injured.

Joseph said that no Opposition member had attacked the Chief Marshal during the ruckus in the House.

"The Assembly proceedings are televised. If there was any assault, it would have been visible. No such incident took place," he asserted.

He alleged that the Speaker went into his chamber and hatched a plan before announcing the injury to the Chief Marshal.

"This is not the first time such baseless claims have been raised. Earlier too, similar allegations were dismissed after medical examination," he added.

Joseph accused the ruling CPI-M of attempting to suppress legitimate protest by the Opposition on the floor of the House.

"When Ministers physically confronted Opposition MLAs, the Chief Minister chose to justify it," he said, recalling that many in the ruling CPI-M had themselves led violent protests in the past.

He cited how the present Education Minister V. Sivankutty in 2015 had climbed on a desk during a previous Assembly ruckus, calling it a "permanent blot on democratic decorum".

The Congress leader linked the protests to the growing controversy over the alleged theft of gold plating at the Sabarimala temple.

"The Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan himself has admitted that the theft occurred during the first Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI-M government. This confirms what the Opposition has been alleging," he said.

He announced that the Congress would intensify its protest, beginning with a major believers' gathering in Pathanamthitta, followed by statewide protest marches culminating at Pandalam on October 18.

The Sabarimala gold plating controversy has rocked the Kerala Assembly and since Monday, the Congress-led Opposition has been on a war path and has vowed that they will not rest will Vasavan resigns.

- IANS