Thiruvananthapuram mayor passes problematic agendas under cover of opposition protest

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The corporation council meeting on Friday broke up within 20 minutes without presenting or discussing the issues affecting the people or the agendas of various standing committees. When the opposition started clamouring for the arrest of all the accused in the building number scam, the mayor announced that all the agendas had been passed and dismissed the meeting as if she was waiting for it. This was the fifth consecutive council meeting to adjourn within minutes. The council passed all the problematic and potentially contentious agendas in between.

The council opened yesterday with the mayor introducing an emergency resolution commending the officials who prepared the plan for the planning board to approve. During the debate, the BJP members started a ruckus, alleging that BJP Parliamentary Party Leader MR Gopan's mic was switched off. BJP members came to the fore demanding an impartial investigation into the building number scam. In the last council meeting, the UDF members also started a commotion as Johnson Joseph came forward and demanded that the mayor be ready to take action against the left councilors who assaulted UDF leader P Padmakumar in the council meeting.

Then when the deputy mayor read out the agendas of the Finance Standing Committee, P. Padmakumar stood up for the debate but he wasn't given a mic. With this, UDF members also took centre stage. Immediately, the mayor dismissed the council meeting by announcing that all agendas have been passed. UDF members tore up the agenda.

UDF and BJP councilors staged separate protests. The UDF members wrote to the secretary stating that they are registering a note of dissent on the agendas.