24 Jul 2009, 0237 hrs IST

Kerala News: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The entire-opposition Congress-UDF today staged a walkout in the state assembly to protest the failure of the government to tackle extremist activities in the state.

Opposition leader Oommen Chandy said many people who were taken into custody in the recent past in connection with various terrorist acts had connection with PDP leader Abdul Nazer Madhani with whom the CPI(M) had an 'unholy alliance.' Of late, the state had become a recruiting centre for terrorists in the country, he claimed adding the state government had failed to act on the intelligence reports received from the Centre in this regard.

He pointed out Abdul Halim (33), who was arrested in connection with the Kozhikode twin-blasts case, was a former bodyguard of Madhani.

Earlier, K Babu (Cong), who moved the adjournment motion seeking the leave of the House to discuss the issue, claimed Halim, during interrogation, had disclosed Madhani was the mastermind in the Coimbatore Serial Bomb Blasts.

Opposing the admissibility of the motion, Law Minister M Vijaya Kumar said the government would take all possible steps to curb the activities of extremist elements.

Stating there was no political interference in any case relating to extremism, he said the government had no responsibility to protect Madhani if he had any role in extremist activities.