Ker CM rejects demand for Education Minister's resignation; UDF boycotts Assembly

The opposition Congress-led UDF boycotted Kerala Assembly proceedings on Thursday as the LDF government rejected their demand for the resignation of the General Education Minister V Sivankutty over a case related to the ruckus inside the House in 2015.

The opposition, during the zero hour, moved a notice for an adjournment motion pressing for his resignation as theSupreme Court had dismissed a governmentplea seeking withdrawal of a criminal case against LDF MLAs, including Sivankutty, in the case.

Moving the notice, Congress legislator P T Thomas said the incident had brought disgrace to the state Assembly.

Referring to the involvement of Sivankutty in the years-old incident, he said how can a minister, who had destroyed public property, give protection to the life and property of people.

However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the opposition demand for the minister's resignation.

He also justified the government action approaching the apex court with a plea seeking withdrawalof the case involving the Left front MLAs.

Protesting against the Chief Minister's reply, the opposition walked out of the House and announced a boycott of Thursday's House proceedings.

The decision of the Supreme Court on the ruckus in the Kerala Assembly in 2015 has come as a jolt to the two-month- old second Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in the State.

The court on Wednesday dismissed the appeals, including the one filed by the Kerala government against the High Court order dismissing its plea seeking withdrawal of a criminal case lodged against LDF MLAs in connection with the ruckus.

The court said allowing the prosecution to be withdrawn would amount to interference in normal course of justice for illegitimate reasons.