They displayed placards reading ‘Recall Governor’ and ‘No to CAA, NRC’ and later staged a walkout as Arif Mohammed Khan delivered the policy address

Uproarious scenes marked the opening day of the Budget session of the Kerala Assembly on Wednesday after the Opposition United Democratic Front tried to block Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on his way to the Speaker’s dais to deliver the policy address.

Shouting slogans and holding placards reading “Recall Governor’ and ‘No to CAA, NRC’, the UDF legislators gathered in the well of the House, blocking the path of Mr. Khan who was escorted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan. Unfazed by the protest, the Governor greeted the members with folded hands and remained standing as the Speaker and Law Minister A.K. Balan tried to persuade the UDF members to provide a safe corridor, but to no avail.

With the protesters showing no signs of retreat, the Speaker requisitioned the watch and ward to clear the path. The security personnel had to forcibly drag the protesters out of the way and clear a passage for the Governor to the Speaker’s dais.

After the National Anthem, Mr. Khan began by inaugurating the e- Assembly project and went on to deliver the policy address, even as the UDF members staged a walkout, boycotting the day’s proceedings. They later held a rally to the gate of the Assembly complex and staged a sit- in.

Earlier, before the Governor’s address, the Opposition legislators spread banners against the CAA and the NRC across their desks. The UDF parliamentary party meeting held before the day’s session had decided to block the Governor inside the House as a means of protest.