The opposition Congress party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) began an indefinite hunger strike on the floor of the Kerala Assembly, forcing Speaker M Vijayakumar to adjourn the House on Monday.

The House had met again after a long adjournment due to the opposition stir. Opposition members P J Joy, K Babu, Sobhana George, Johnney Nellur, Mammen Mathai and Babu Divakaran began the hunger strike at 12.30 pm demanding a judicial probe into the alleged irregularities in the allocation of plus-two schools.

Earlier, when the assembly sat for the day in the morning, the opposition members staged a walk out after the Speaker rejected an adjournment motion for debate on the Kerala High Court (HC) verdict quashing the list of 360 schools sanctioned this year.

The full budget session of the assembly was adjourned for 19 days from June 28 as the opposition stalled the business everyday ever since the session began. Education minister P J Joseph said in the assembly that the HC’s comments were general in nature.

Joseph said the court had made such comments on the government when A K Antony was chief minister also. "He and his health minister V M Sudheeran did not resign when the court criticised them. There is no moral right for Antony to ask for my resignation," he said.

Antony was immediately on his feet to offer his resignation as the opposition leader and a member of the assembly if the government was prepared to initiate a judicial probe. "But Nayanar and Joseph should also do the same," he added.

BJP workers removed by force; UDF march peaceful

Meanwhile, the opposition UDF conducted a remarkably peaceful march on the Kerala Assembly in the afternoon. Senior Congress party leader K Karunakaran inaugurated the march. Karunakaran warned the government against using force to suppress popular agitations.

The police, however, did not allow the activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to take out a march, as they did not have permission. It is mandatory to file an application for marches six days in advance.

Other Links
No more plus-two schools in Kerala this year
Plus-2 and it's no-go in Kerala Assembly