It looks like the gold smuggling scandal has returned to the centre of Kerala politics.
For the second day in a row, the Opposition boycotted Assembly proceedings in protest against what the Opposition Leader said the chief minister's refusal to make his stand clear on the alleged statement given by a gold smuggling accused implicating him in illegal dollar transfer.
If on August 12 the Opposition had brought the issue into the Assembly as an adjournment motion, on Friday the issue was raised right at the start of the day, just when the Question Hour began.
Before any question could be asked, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan stood up and insisted that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarify his stand. Speaker M B Rajesh, who had refused permission to move the adjournment motion on August 12 saying it was beneath the dignity of the Assembly to discuss the comments of an accused, refused to entertain the request once again and began proceedings ignoring the Opposition demand. The Opposition members held up banners calling for the chief minister's resignation and raised slogans. After raising slogans for 20 minutes, the Opposition announced a boycott. As the Opposition members trooped out through the central aisle of the House, the chief minister walked out the other way as though hinting that he would be the last person to be ruffled by the Opposition's antics.
The last two days of the session, therefore, were held without the presence of the Opposition.
Sarith, one of the accused in the gold smuggling case, has allegedly given a statement to the Customs saying that dollars were smuggled out to the UAE with the help of the UAE Consulate at the behest of Pinarayi Vijayan. Former Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan was also accused of a similar financial fraud.
On August 12, in a unique protest, the Opposition had organised a mock Assembly in front of the entrance gates of the Legislative Complex.
The Opposition's aggression is a sign that it has plans to once more use the gold smuggling scandal to sharpen the political weapons against the second Pinarayi Ministry.
