Malappuram: Former minister K T Jaleel on Thursday confessed pushing the Speaker's chair during the infamous Assembly ruckus in 2015 was a mistake. Responding to a comment on his Teacher's Day post on Facebook, Jaleel said, "Touching that chair was a mistake, a slip-up in the heat of the moment." Jaleel pushed the Speaker's chair down from the dais during the commotion.

Jaleel is one of the accused in the ruckus that occurred in the Assembly during an attempt to interrupt the budget presented by then finance minister K M Mani. Minister V Sivankutty, LDF leaders E P Jayarajan, K Ajith, K Kunjahammed and C K Sadasivan are the other accused in the case. The Assembly incurred losses worth Rs 2.20 lakh in the incident.

Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath, who was in the Assembly during the ruckus, welcomed the confession, although it came nine years later. “Jaleel's comments emphasise the stand of UDF, which has vehemently criticised the attack. It is good that he accepted his mistake, even though it took him nine long years,” Sadath told Onmanorama.

It is the first time an LDF leader involved in the case has admitted that the ruckus was a mistake. Jaleel's comment comes days after he declared an end to his parliamentary politics. The case is under trial at the Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.