Kerala speaker 'pained' by picture that went viral

Thiruvananthapuram - Sakthan along with Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan had come to harvest the paddy cultivated in the Assembly premises on Wednesday morning.

By T K Devasia

Published: Thu 15 Oct 2015, 1:24 PM

Last updated: Fri 16 Oct 2015, 12:21 AM

Kerala Assembly Speaker N Sakthan has courted trouble by asking an Assembly staff member to put his shoes on when he came to inaugurate the harvest of the paddy in the Assembly compound.
Sakthan along with Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan had come to harvest the paddy cultivated in the Assembly premises on Wednesday morning. He sought the help of his driver to put his shoes on after coming out of the paddy field.
K Ramahcnadran, an award winning farmer in the state, led the paddy cultivation in the Assembly complex. The paddy is for use in the Assembly canteen.
The Speaker's action has kicked off a big controversy with social and cultural leaders coming out against him. Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan termed it unfortunate. The picture that went viral in the social media has drawn lot of adverse comments.
Sakthan said he had sought the driver's help as he 'suffered from a rare disease' that forbid him from bending. The disease damaged his optic nerve and caused impairment to his vision in one eye completely and partially in the other, he added.
Doctors had advised him not to bend or lift weight. For the past 18 years he has been following this as far as possible, he told media persons. To prove his point he presented the medical records before the media. The records showed that he was having diabetic retinopathy.
The Speaker said that the staff member who removed the footwear was not just a driver to him but his relative. The relative named Biju had been assisting him for the past 18 years due to his ailment; Sakthan said adding that he used to take his wife along with him whenever he goes out of the state for helping him.
"Political leaders irrespective of party lines close to me are aware of my condition," Sakhtan said. He expressed displeasure at the way the media drummed it up without clarifying the issue with him.
"I am deeply pained by the picture. The person who is helping me is a close relative and one who looks after all my personal needs as I am unwell. He travels with me. He has been assisting me for the past eighteen years due to the ailment. I didn't ask him to remove my footwear," said Sakthan.
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