Congress, UDF term Governor's brief policy address in Assembly a mockery of democracy

Thiruvananthapuram; The Congress and the opposition UDF led by it on Thursday termed as a "mockery of democracy" and an "insult to the Assembly" the unprecedented manner in which Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan very briefly read out the government's customary policy address in the House.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said that reading out only the last paragraph of the policy address amounted to "contempt" towards the Assembly.

"It was also a contempt and neglect towards the Constitutional directives and rules of the Assembly. We are indicating our strong protest against the same. It was a pitiful ending to the political drama of the state government and the Governor," Satheesan told the media after the conclusion of the policy address.

Deputy LoP P K Kunhalikutty and senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also spoke to the media along similar lines.

They both said that what transpired in the House was a mockery of the Assembly and democracy.

In an unprecedented move which also indicated his displeasure with the ruling Left front in the state, Khan quickly concluded the government's customary policy address in the Assembly by only reading out the last of 136 paragraphs.

Khan, who reached the Assembly at around 9 am, concluded the policy address before 9.02 am and left the House by 9.04 am.

Khan and the Left government have been at loggerheads over several issues, primarily about the functioning of universities in the state and his non-signing of certain bills passed by the Assembly.

It also resulted in his facing widespread protests across the state from the CPI(M), its youth wing -- Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) -- and its student outfit -- Students Federation of India (SFI).