Mani: Women MLAs were used as shields

Finance Minister KM Mani has said that the Opposition deployed women members as shields while planning an assault on him and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the State Assembly last Friday.

These women members were in the charge up front but counterparts in the treasury benches were careful not to engage them directly.

But the latter were forced to defend themselves when the women members tried to push and shove, Mani told newspersons here on Tuesday. He also said that he had retreated from his usual chair and took to the rear benches to escape the fury of the women members who had formed a ring in the front.

Mani’s interaction with the media capped a series of rapidly evolving developments in which the Opposition Left Democratic Front targeted offices of several leaders of the ruling front in protest against the suspension of five MLAs for the rest of the ongoing Assembly session on charges of vandalising the Speaker’s dais on Friday.

The Opposition also alleged that some of them had gone to the extent of outraging the modesty of the women members who had rushed to the treasury benches.

Meanwhile, Jameela Prakasam, member of the Opposition, displayed to newspersons still photographs showing how counterparts from the ruling coalition had sought to misbehave with her in the House.