Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, July 6 (IANS) Angry exchanges and a walkout marred proceedings in the Kerala assembly Tuesday over an allegation that Congress legislator A.P. Abdulla Kutty was caught in the company of a woman near a hill station.
The treasury and opposition benches exchanged heated words over a statement by Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) M. Chandran Monday evening that his former party colleague and now Congress legislator A.P. Abdulla Kutty was travelling to Ponmudi hill station with a woman when he was stopped by people and handed over to police.

When Chandran made the statement in the assembly, the entire opposition staged a walkout.

Kutty, in his explanation, said that on Monday, after spending some time in the assembly, he proceeded with two friends to their home near Ponmudi, 70 km from here.

“En route our vehicle was stopped by some people due to the strike called by the Left. I called for the police who took me to the station. Another family was also there whose car was stopped and they were also taken to the police station. The police said they will give me protection to travel to my friends place but I said I will go back to the legislators hostel. And to this Chandran has alleged that I was caught with a lady,” he said.

Kutty, a two-time CPI-M Lok Sabha member from Kannur, quit the party ahead of the 2009 polls. He won the Kannur assembly seat in a by-election as a Congress candidate.

In an appeal to Chandran, he said: “I know your party will go to any extent to finish me. But it is better you kill me by throwing bombs at me. Please don’t level allegations like this.”

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan clarified later that Kutty was not in the company of a woman and had not been taken into custody by police.

Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said he was shocked to hear such “baseless allegations” levelled by a legislator on the basis of hearsay. He urged the speaker to expunge the allegations made by Chandran.

Speaker K. Radhakrishnan said he would make a ruling after examining Chandran’s statement, but an angry opposition stormed out of the assembly.