Continued protest and slogan shouting by LDF members, some of whom even sat in the Well of the House, forced Speaker G Karthikeyan to adjourn the assembly for the day.
Trouble started when some UDF members jeered at Opposition members when they staged a walkout protesting the government's recent decision to recognise conversion of paddy land for other purposes made upto January 1, 2005.
The Speaker's assurance that he would take proper action after examining the video clippings of the proceedings failed to pacify the Opposition. An hour-long adjournment to sort out the issue could not end the stalemate.
Earlier, replying to a notice on an adjournment motion on paddy land conversion issue moved by the LDF, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said it was the previous Achuthanandan-led ministry that issued a notification for acquiring 2,500 acres of land, mostly paddy fields, for the proposed Green Field Airport at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district.
LDF regime had proposed to recognise paddy fields converted upto 2008 by charging a fees and hence the LDF has "no morale right" to bring such a motion against the UDF, he contended.
"You (Opposition) will be getting yourself humiliated if you bring issues in the House based on media reports without remembering the steps taken by the previous regime," he added.
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Referring to Aranmula Airport project, Chandy said the government would denotify 2,000 acres as only 500 acres was required for it.
Taking a dig at, Achuthanandan, he said the Opposition leader always says he was against land mafia and placed in the House a note written by the Marxist veteran while he was the Chief Minister to the Pathananthitta District Collector on the acquisition of 350 acres for the airport.
In a virtual turnaround, Achuthanandan said the LDF was against the airport, for which principle sanction had been granted by his government. He said he had only given instructions to take steps.
Alleging that the UDF government's policy was in support of land mafia, he staged a walkout.