Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, LoP engage in verbal duel in Assembly over students' clash

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday witnessed a heated war of words between chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and leader of opposition VD Satheesan over a student clash in a government law college here, following which the opposition Congress-led UDF staged a walkout.

The visuals of the Tuesday night clash, in which a woman leader of Congress's students wing, Kerala Students' Union (KSU) was seen brutally beaten up and dragged on the road allegedly by the activists of ruling CPI(M)'s Students' Federation of India (SFI), were aired by TV channels. The arguments between the rival groups, in connection with the inauguration of the college union held on Tuesday, reportedly snowballed into a clash. While raising the issue as a submission in the House, Satheesan severely criticised the Left outfit and alleged it was tough to differentiate between SFI workers and goondas nowadays in the state. He said the 20-year-old KSU leader was brutally beaten up by the SFI activists even without considering that she is a woman.

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Visibly irked by Satheesan's vehement criticism, Vijayan alleged that the opposition was trying to insult the SFI over the issue and urged the opposition leader to refrain from "misusing" his position for the same. He also claimed that the Congress-UDF was upset over the SFI's growth in the state campuses which forced them to come up with charges against the outfit.

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The chief minister also urged Saatheesan not to stoop to the level of a KSU or Youth Congress leader. In a tit-for-tat reply, the LoP said Vijayan should not lower himself to the grade of a party secretary who gives instructions to annihilate its opponents. Later, the UDF members staged a walkout alleging that the CM was handling the issue without any seriousness and his response amounted to giving "license" to the attackers. At least four students, including three KSU activists and an SFI worker, were injured in the clash at the Government Law College here on Tuesday night.