Thiruvananthapuram: In a departure from recent practice, Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer on Tuesday rejected the Congress-led UDF’s notice for an adjournment motion on the alleged CPM martyr fund scam, ruling that the issue did not meet the urgency required to suspend normal House proceedings.

The Speaker declined to admit the adjournment motion under Rule 50 and did not permit the Opposition to formally move the notice. This prompted protests from Opposition members, who gathered in the well of the House.

The LDF has consistently maintained that the alleged misuse of the martyr fund is an internal party matter and does not warrant legislative intervention. The Opposition has been seeking to raise the issue following developments in Kannur, where the CPM district committee on Sunday expelled senior leader V Kunhikrishnan from the party’s primary membership. The action came days after Kunhikrishnan accused CPM MLA T I Madhusoodanan of misappropriating money from the Dhanaraj martyrs’ fund.

Traditionally, politically sensitive issues are raised in the Assembly through adjournment motions, which allow for a temporary suspension of regular business to facilitate discussion. However, in recent sessions, the LDF has often agreed to debates proposed by the Opposition, a tactic that effectively neutralised the Opposition’s walkout strategy and reduced the political impact of adjournment motions. Against this backdrop, the UDF’s decision to submit an adjournment motion, and the Speaker’s refusal to admit it, marked a shift from recent trends.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF reiterated in the Assembly that it would continue its protest demanding the resignation of Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan over the Sabarimala gold loss case, while cooperating with House proceedings. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said two UDF MLAs, Najeeb Kanthapuram and C R Mahesh, would stage a satyagraha outside the Assembly as part of the protest.

Responding to the statement, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the probe into the Sabarimala gold loss case was being monitored by the Kerala High Court and argued that the UDF’s protest amounted to an agitation against the court rather than the Assembly. Following this, Opposition members walked out of the House and joined the satyagraha led by IUML legislator Kanthapuram and Congress MLA Mahesh.

On January 22, the Opposition had disrupted Assembly proceedings demanding Vasavan’s resignation. Subsequently, the Speaker cancelled the sitting scheduled for January 23 on the Chief Minister’s recommendation.

The Sabarimala gold loss case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil at the hill shrine. The Special Investigation Team probing the case has so far arrested several people, including Bengaluru-based businessman Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused, and two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board.