Members of BJP's youth wing the streets of Thiruvananthapuram shouting slogans against the Finance Minister
Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani spent last night in one of the rooms of the state Assembly. With him were about 70 of the 74 lawmakers of Kerala's ruling United Democratic Front, including some ministers though, Chief Minister Oomen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had opted out.
They had taken the unusual step of locking themselves inside the Assembly premises to preempt the Opposition, which had threatened to stop Mr Mani from entering the Assembly today to present the Budget.
"In my long innings, I have seen numerous protests and this is just another one," Mr Mani, who has presented 12 state budgets, told reporters on Thursday.
The CPI-M led Left Democratic Front or LDF has stepped up protests against Mr Mani since the Budget Session began, alleging that the Finance Minister accepted a bribe of Rs 1 crore to renew licences of bars that were shut down by the administration.
Many LDF lawmakers were also inside the Assembly complex, and they too spent the night there. They have warned of "dire consequences" if Mr Mani presents the Budget at the scheduled time of 9 am on Friday.
The LDF and BJP youth wings have said they would hold protests around the Assembly complex.
The police, faced with a peculiar situation, is taking no chances and has a 2,500-strong force ready for any trouble today.
On Thursday, the BJP's youth wing raised slogans on the streets of Thiruvananthapuram against the Finance Minister. Earlier in the week, Opposition parties, led by Leader of Opposition VS Achuthanandan, 91, staged a walk out demanding Mr Mani's resignation.
Mr Mani, who belongs to the Kerala Congress (M), is a key ally of Oommen Chandy's Congress-led government.
The 81-year-old veteran, who has won every Assembly election since 1965, has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against chief of the Kerala Hotels and Bar Association, Bijur Ramesh.
In December last year, Kerala's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption bureau had booked Mr Mani as first accused in the "bar scam case."