MLAs too look forward to the weekend

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition bringing an abrupt end to Friday’s Assembly proceedings didn’t go down well with embattled Chief Whip In fact, he called a press conference in the Assembly soon after, to say aloud what mediapersons were jocularly whispering in the air-conditioned corridors of the House - that the Opposition messed up the day’s business so that everyone could quickly leave for their constituencies to spend the weekend! Whether there is any grain of truth in it, is open to argument, but the wily George insinuated well. On Fridays, business generally ends by noon. Then there is a scramble to leave for the constituencies. Over the weekend, the MLAs make up for their absence during the weekdays by attending innumerable inaugurations, weddings and other miscellaneous activities before returning to the House on Mondays.First-Timers a Favourite TargetThe prompters come into play when first-time ministers fumble before mischievous questions put by the Opposition. On Friday, courtesy the earphones, mediapersons could hear Ports Minister K Babu, himself a first-timer, helping along the target of the moment Co-operation Minister C N Balakrishnan who was taking ample body hits. Not that it helped much. Tiring of the exercise, the Opposition subsided with a flurry of ‘Shame, Shame!’ cat-calls. The provokers also put in an act on Friday. After the Left staged their sit-in in the Well of the House - the second this Assembly Session, Speaker G Karthikeyan was trying his diplomatic best to coax them to their seats. It was then that he noticed Palode Ravi and Varkala Kahar stoking the fire from a corner by shouting at the agitating Opposition. “Palode Ravi! Varkala Kahar! You shouldn’t provoke them!” the Speaker was heard shouting amid the din.Speaker’s ruling on Supplementary Questions Time, as the Americans say, is money. So from now on, members should give notice for asking supplementary questions only once every four days at a minimum, Speaker G Karthikeyan ruled on Friday. Members should treat the Question Hour - the one-hour session starting at 8.30 a.m., and the first of the day - as ‘sacred,’ he said. A harried Speaker had his reasons. Members have been complaining that they were not getting opportunity to ask questions because some of their colleagues loved asking serpentine questions! Only six or seven minutes will be spent on each question from now on, the Speaker has ruled.