Kerala | Speaker pulls up Excise Minister for breaking House protocol

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 11 (PTI) Kerala Excise Minister M B Rajesh on Tuesday received a "warning" from Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer in the House for responding to an opposition question without seeking the Chair's permission.

The Speaker stated that, despite being a minister, Rajesh would be denied the microphone if he repeated the same mistake.

The warning came during a House discussion on 'drug abuse'.

While the minister was detailing various government initiatives to combat the contraband menace, Congress legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan stood up and emphasised the importance of breaking the drug consumer chain to eradicate the problem completely.

Rajesh, who is also a former Assembly Speaker, abruptly sat down to listen to the opposition legislator and later responded to him without seeking the Speaker’s permission, which is mandatory as per the rules and procedures of the House.

Visibly irked by the minister’s action, Speaker Shamseer remarked that the House proceedings were not a "tennis match" between two individuals.

"Minister... if you yield to a question without the Chair's knowledge, you will not be given the microphone again. This is just a caution," he said.

The Speaker further clarified that this was a general direction applicable to all House members.

In response, Rajesh, smiling, assured that he would seek the Speaker’s permission before responding to future questions.

The Excise Minister also explained that he had responded to Radhakrishnan’s question out of respect for him as a senior member and considering the seriousness of the topic. PTI