Viral issue forces adjournment of Kerala Assembly

The Kerala Assembly was adjourned on the opening day of the monsoon session today following heated discussions over the recent outbreak of viral fever in the state.

The Opposition UDF, led by the Congress, attacked the Left Democratic Front government charging it with total mismanagement of the crisis. As many as 80 lives have been lost since the outbreak, two months back.

The Opposition demanded an immediate discussion on the fever scene over other issues, which was rejected by the government. This forced the Opposition to shout slogans. Speaker K Radhakrishnan was left with no option but to adjourn the House for the day.

Pandemonium started when the UDF's call for an immediate discussion on the spread of fever and measures taken by the government was ignored by health minister PK Sreemathi and also by chief minister VS Achuthanandan.

According to them, a discussion at this juncture would trigger an unnecessary scare as the situation was under control at the moment. Sreemathi informed that preventive steps as well as curative measures had already been taken in the fever-hit districts of Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki.

Opposition leader Oommen Chandy, who spoke to the media outside the Assembly, accused the government of failing to initiate measures to contain the spread of the disease. He alleged that the rejection of the demand for discussion on this issue was undemocratic.

Meanwhile, in a press conference convened soon after the adjournment, minister for parliamentary affairs, M Vijayakumar, termed the development as 'childish' and blamed the Opposition for stalling the proceedings of the House when important issues were scheduled to be discussed on the first day of the session.