The Kerala assembly witnessed much furore on Thursday over a moral policing incident by Shiv Sena in Kochi's Marine Drive.
Leading the opposition's charge was Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden.
The ruckus reached a crescendo when Pinarayi Vijayan questioned on the floor of the assembly whether the opposition was behind Shiv Sena attack.
It was Hibi Eden who had sought the Speaker's permission to move an adjournment motion in the Assembly over the moral policing issue.
In an interview to TNM, the Congress MLA said that opposition MLAs had been observing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s style for the past one week.
“Initially, we thought that he had changed his style of functioning while he was party secretary to that of a chief minister's. But his body language, his response to the discussion over moral policing and his act of standing up from his seat and coming to the floor has proved that he is still behaving like the CPI (M) secretary. Rarely can one see a Chief Minister moving out of the treasury bench,” he said.
Pinarayi Vijayan has proved his administrative inefficiency in the last nine months, says Hibi Eden.
The CM who also manages the Home portfolio has come under severe criticism over the past few months for various incidents of lawlessness and moral policing.
Hibi Eden's speech seeking permission for an adjournment motion had severely flayed the government for being inept and allowing anti-social elements to fester. He even asked why the lathis wielded by the police department under Vijayan were not used against the Shiv Sena activists or Left members who had broken the law in the past. It was perhaps the first time that an opposition MLA had attacked CM Pinarayi Vijayan with such vigour.
“It’s not fair that justice is not the same for SFI and KSU. The police is always harsh om KSU, never on SFI. The Chief Minister has double standards. The police use lathi in all public protests. Why didn’t they use it against anti-socials of the Shiv Sena,” he asked. “The Chief Minister of a state does not belong to a party. He represents the state," Hibi said.
He also flayed the government for not booking the accused in the incident in which a female student was attacked in University College. He raised concern that incidents such as moral policing would defame Kerala on the global level. “It’s not befitting for a civilsed society,” he said.
Hibi also criticised the CM'S working style.
“The Chief Minister is 'handling' all portfolios. He doesn’t allow ministers to take independent decisions. This behaviour is similar to Modi's. He should set aside some time to examine the issues of the Home department. MLAs or his own ministers have no access to him,” Hibi alleged.
He told TNM that the CM had failed to take a clear stand on many issues. "Chief Minister didn't take any stand when journalists were attacked in courts, or when doctors went on stir, during the cinema theatre shut down or ”Hibi said.
Hibi also added that T K Aravindan, a man accused in an abuse case, had been at the forefront of the Shiv Sena attack at Marine Drive.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) has alleged that opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala made a communal remark in the assembky by reportedly asking in the Assembly what was the role of Adbul Khader MLA in Guruvayoor temple issues.
When asked about this, Hibi said that a person like Chennithala would never make such a remark. “The Assembly records can be checked to examine that,”, said the 33 year old MLA.