High drama is witnessed in the Kerala Assembly ahead of the state Budget which is to be presented on Friday. CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front MLAs were seen throwing away chairs in the House and attempting to break equipment.

Opposition leaders have rushed to the well of the House and are refusing to allow state Finance Minister KM Mani from presenting the Budget. They claim that Mani accepted a bribe of Rs 1 crore to renew licences of bars that were shut down by the administration.

Mani along with more than 70 MLAs of the Kerala's ruling United Democratic Front have been holed up inside the Assembly for the last 20 hours. This even as Opposition leaders including VS Achuthanandan have staging a sit-in inside the Assembly hall since Thursday morning.

The Opposition MLAs have threatened to stop Mani from entering the Assembly to present the Budget.

Hundreds of activists of LDF and Yuva Morcha have converged around the state Assembly Complex as part of a protest siege to check Mani from presenting the budget over the bar bribery issue.

Though a high level security was placed and barricades had been set up by police in the vicinity, activists began to pour in large numbers in the area since Thursday evening.

Tension mounted in the state capital after LDF opposition warned the Congress-headed UDF government that they would go to any extent if Mani, facing allegations in the bar bribery case, would try to present the budget and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy made it clear in the Assembly that Mani himself would present the budget as he has the constitutional right for it.

Taking up the challenge of the Opposition, Chandy maintained in the Assembly that allegations against Mani were part of a "political conspiracy" and asserted that the minister himself would present the Budget.

Reacting to Chandy's stand, CPI(M) veteran and Opposition leader Achuthanandan said the government would have to face consequences if it let "tainted" Mani present the budget and Chandy alone would be responsible for that.

Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered a case against Mani in December last year in connection with the allegations that he had accepted bribe from bar owners to renew liquor licences.

The allegations were levelled by Kerala state Bar Hotel Owner's Association Working President Biju Ramesh.