Thiruvananthapuram: It was a trip down memory lane when the Assembly met at the old hall on Thursday to mark the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of the Kerala Assembly. While many senior members revelled in nostalgic memories, the juniors took it as a matter of pride to be part of history. The old hall with its cramped ambience and humid atmosphere was in sharp contrast to the air-conditioned and spacious comfort of the new Assembly hall. Senior members, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, were the first to reach the hall around 8 a.m. The narrow passages between seats and rows made it difficult for MLAs like P.C. George, Vijayan Pillai and Transport Minister Thomas Chandy to move around easily.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan arrive to the session on Thursday. (Photo: PEETHAMBARAN PAYYERI)
For Mr M.K. Muneer, who was recently made IUML parliamentary party leader, it was a rare occasion as he could sit on the same seat in which his father C.H. Mohammed Koya sat as IUML leader. Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan arranged a photo session after the sitting considering the wish of many members to get their photograph in the historic Assembly hall. Many MLAs hailed the speaker for holding the sitting there. Mr. Oommen Chandy and Mr C. Divakaran even suggested that sittings may be held occasionally in the old hall. The chief minister, who spoke, recalled that many laws initiated by the state Assembly had become models for the centre. Even if many issues come up in the House, more importance should be given for legislation, he said. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the political parties should change according to time.
CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan arrive to the session on Thursday.
The speaker said that even as the state had made much progress over 60 years, the police force was still remaining as people-unfriendly. While Mr. Oommen Chandy said that the government should take the initiative for a consensus with the Opposition for the state’s development initiatives, Mr. Achuthanandan lamented that the Assembly was not being convened even for one-third of a year these days. BJP MLA O. Rajagopal used the occasion to target the chief minister for a recent remark in the House accusing the RSS of being responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s death. He said that it was unfortunate to make such baseless allegations misusing the privileges of the House. Though the House witnessed heated arguments between the Opposition and treasury benches, there was no walkout or boycott during the day.
