A Speaker physically prevented from entering his chamberes, chairs forcibly dislodged and flung into the well of the House, mikes disabled, and computer systems wrecked.
Newly anointed Kerala Assembly Speaker N Sakthan had baptism by hellfire on a tumultuous Budget day that would go straight into the annals of parliamentary democracy as among the worst and eminently forgettable.
Sakthan managed to find his feet and reach the podium escorted by watch and ward as members of the Opposition went on a rampage. A standby chair reserved for the Governor was wheeled in but the Speaker couldn’t bring the House to order.
He could only gesture by a wave of the hand for Finance Minister KM Mani — on his feet and ensconced within a tight MLA cordon — to read out the 2015-16 State Budget, which was the provocation for Opposition ire. Mani, it said, did not have the right to present the Budget, considering his alleged role in the bar bribery case.
Battle lines were drawn from the previous evening in a surcharged atmosphere as thousands of Opposition LDF members began assembling around the Assembly House.
Both sides were committed early and decidedly to their respective course of action for the big day; neither would budge since it was a matter of prestige ahead of the last budget of the current government.
Charm of 13 The brief was to prevent Mani from entering the House and presenting a record-breaking 13th budget, the most by a State finance minister.
On his part, Mani ridiculed the Opposition, saying he has been through the grind over a 50-year political career, and that nobody can scare him off.
He went on to say that the “charm of 13” will work on him differently — he was to present his 13th budget on Friday the 13th.
The CPI(M)-led Opposition could not afford to let down its guard either, fully aware of how it was being derided for its ‘business as usual’ approach with an earlier attempt to shut down the Secretariat protesting the Chief Minister’s alleged role in the solar case.
Joining the chorus this time was a reinvigorated Bharatiya Jana Yuva Morcha, which too sent down cadres from all parts of the State to thwart the Finance Minister.
The police had to take special care to see that activists of the rival political fronts did not run into each other.
In the end, the police could not prevent the inevitable — cases of arson, rioting and setting fire to government vehicles, including those of police.
Meanwhile, all hell broke loose as Mani appeared to complete reading from the budget papers, go through the motion of tabling them, and make his way towards an ante-room.
Jubilant members of the ruling UDF distributed laddoos and flaunted them before the sloganeering and heckling members of the Opposition.
Pitched battles In the meantime, rival members of the House had come to blows and throwing things at each other. Some others were seen traipsing their way over the tables and chairs to take on the retreating Mani.
Another group, including women members, moved threateningly towards CM Oommen Chandy.
Nine watch-and-ward members suffered injuries in the large-scale brawl and had to be hospitalised; four legislators, including two women, collapsed and were referred for treatment.
Outside, a 3,000-strong posse of police engaged thousands of protesters in pitched battles resulting in firing of tear gas shells, lathi-charge and use of water cannons.