Stormy Assembly session likely in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 14-day-long Kerala Assembly session beginning on December 1 is likely to be a stormy affair with the CPI-M led LDF Opposition all set to take on the government on a host of issues, including the alleged bar licence bribery involving Finance Minister K M Mani.

The outbreak of avian flu leading to mass deaths of ducks, causing huge losses to farmers in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanmthitta districts would be another major topic of debate in the Assembly, which has been convened primarily to take up legislative business.

The session is significant as it comes after the Congress led UDF government announced its new liquor policy of limiting liquor bars to five star category hotels and closing down of foreign liquor outlets of Kerala State Beverages Corporation in a phased manner with an objective to have 'total prohibition' in the state in next 10 years.

As an offshoot of the policy and causing embarrassment to the government, bar owner and Working President of Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association Biju Ramesh had alleged that Mani had taken money for favourable decision.

Seizing on the matter, LDF had demanded Mani's resignation and had warned the government that it would launch a series of agitations if he did not quit the post.

Countering the LDF, UDF had recently pledged full support to Mani and resolved to challenge the charges unitedly.

LDF sources said its members would take the Vigilance Probe ordered on the issue to corner the government.

The long drawn students agitation at Calicut University, which has virtually stalled the administration, would be brought to the notice of Assembly, CPI(M) politburo member and Deputy leader in the Assembly Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said.

The session is scheduled to devote 11 days for legislative business, Assembly Speaker G Karthekeyan said. As many as 19 ordinances issued by the government when the House was not in session has to be replaced, he pointed out.

The University Laws (Third Amendment) Bill and the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Bill are some of the legislative business scheduled for the session.