THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Assembly descended into chaos on Tuesday after Speaker A.N. Shamseer refused permission for an emergency motion on the alleged death threat against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The notice, moved by the state Congress President Sunny Joseph, was intended to spark an immediate debate, but the Speaker ruled that the issue lacked both urgency and significance under Assembly rules.
Shamseer’s observation that the matter was a “trivial issue” infuriated the Opposition, who accused the Chair of undermining a grave security concern.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan hit back sharply, stating that belittling a threat to a national leader was unacceptable and unbecoming of the Chair. He insisted that the House had every right to take up such matters of public importance.
The Speaker, however, stood firm. He pointed out that the controversy stemmed from remarks made during a television debate and argued that such statements could not form the basis of an emergency motion.
“If someone says something in a TV discussion, how can it be discussed here?” he asked, reiterating that the subject did not warrant urgent consideration.
The response only escalated tensions. Opposition members stormed the well of the House, waving banners and shouting slogans against the government and the Speaker.