Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the newly introduced rural employment scheme VB-G RAM G and restore the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), even as proceedings were disrupted for the third consecutive day by the Congress-led UDF over the Sabarimala gold loss issue.

The resolution was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh and adopted amid noisy protests by opposition members, who demanded the resignation of Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan over the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple.

Moving the resolution, Rajesh said that unlike MGNREGA, under which the Centre bore the entire cost, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) scheme required states to bear 40 per cent of the expenditure, placing an additional financial burden on Kerala.

Earlier in the day, Assembly proceedings were disrupted soon after they began at 9 am, prompting Speaker A N Shamseer to cancel Question Hour. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said the UDF would continue its protest inside and outside the House until the government acted on the issue.

Satheesan expressed concern that several accused in the Sabarimala gold loss cases were being released on statutory bail due to the Special Investigation Team’s failure to file charge sheets on time. He alleged that the incomplete probe raised fears of evidence being destroyed once the accused were released. He also maintained that the opposition protest was peaceful and that watch and ward staff were not attacked.

Rejecting the claims, Speaker Shamseer described the opposition’s conduct, including climbing onto the Speaker’s dais earlier in the week, as “unfortunate”, and said some UDF MLAs had indeed attacked watch and ward personnel. He stressed that debates and discussions, not disruptions, were the essence of democracy.

Following the Speaker’s remarks, opposition MLAs rushed to the well of the House holding placards and banners, raising slogans against the government. They displayed photographs of the accused Potty with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. In response, ruling front members held up photos of Potty with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and UDF convener Adoor Prakash.

Rajesh accused the UDF of deliberately disrupting proceedings as it lacked substantive issues, and said the Kerala High Court had backed and praised the ongoing SIT probe into the gold loss cases.

The cases relate to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames at the Sabarimala temple following replating works. The SIT was constituted by the Kerala High Court to investigate the matter.