Thiruvananthapuram: The Leader of Opposition in Kerala, V.D. Satheesan, has raised serious concerns regarding the sudden alteration of 49 starred questions posed by Congress-led Opposition members in the Kerala Assembly. These questions, originally intended for open discussion on the floor of the House, were reportedly downgraded to unstarred questions, which only require written responses. Satheesan wrote a formal letter to Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer, calling for immediate intervention, accusing the move of being an attempt to shield Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from scrutiny over pressing issues.
In his letter, Satheesan claimed that the questions directly addressed recent controversies, including an alleged meeting between senior police officer ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar and two RSS leaders, as well as disruptions during the Thrissur Pooram festival. By converting these starred questions into unstarred ones, the opposition argues that the government is avoiding public accountability.
Starred questions require ministers to provide verbal responses in the Assembly, facilitating transparency, while unstarred questions are answered in writing, offering less public scrutiny. Satheesan accused the legislature secretariat of procedural misconduct, claiming the changes violated assembly rules and conventions. He emphasized the importance of these questions, noting that the government is responsible for answering them in full before the Assembly.
The controversy comes as Chief Minister Vijayan faces mounting pressure ahead of the upcoming Assembly session, with multiple allegations against him. Satheesan stressed that none of the Opposition members were consulted before their questions were altered and demanded that the legislature uphold its commitment to transparency and accountability.
