LDF government has lost collective responsibility: UDF

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition UDF in the State Tuesday staged a walk-out in the assembly after its demand for a debate on what it alleged lack of 'collective responsibility' by the CPI-M led LDF government was rejected by the Speaker.

The Congress-led opposition said the alleged criticism made by Public Works Department Minister G Sudhakaran on working of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) reflected 'lack of collective responsibility' in the cabinet, a charge rubbished by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Chief Minister said UDF was taking up such 'trivial' matters based on press reports as they suffer from 'dearth of issues' and said his ministry was functioning with unity.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said they were ready to place in the table of the House a CD containing the speech of Sudhakaran aired by a private television channel as a proof of their charge.

Vijayan, however, alleged the channel was under the control of state NDA Vice-Chairman Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Rajya Sabha member, and been working as per his political agenda.

Chennithala termed the Chief Minister's remark as 'unfortunate' and reminded him that M G Radhakrishnan, son of Communist ideologue late P Govinda Pilla, was the channel's Editor.

Quoting Sudhakaran's clarification statement, Vijayan said the PWD Minister himself had denied talking adversely about KIIFB and the reports attributed to him was false.

Sudhakaran had said it was a deliberate attempt to defame the government when it was moving ahead with pro-people's programmes, he said.

Intervening, Sudhakaran said he had not made any adverse comments against the functioning of KIIFB and only mentioned about certain proceedures followed by successive governments while taking up development works.

Earlier, the house witnessed protest and slogan shouting by UDF members when Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan rejected their notice for discussing the issue as an adjournment motion.

However, the opposition relented and cooperated with the chair when Speaker announced that the issue could be taken up as first submission by V D Sateeshan (Cong).

Sudhakaran had courted controversy after he reportedly criticised the functioning of KIIFB while speaking at a function in Alappuzha recently.

Sateeshan also said that the views of the Chief Minister and that of Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan on the issue of encroachment were also different.