A big political battle is taking place over the patronage of the contentious letter that came out in the name of the Thiruvananthapuram mayor. Mayor Arya Rajendran is swearing that she has not written such a letter. CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan also insists that he has not received the controversial letter. If the words of both are to be believed, then the letter circulating in the name of the mayor can be said to be fake. Then the person behind the fake letter should be found.

The letter printed on the Mayor's official letter pad seeking a list of party members eligible to be appointed to 295 temporary vacancies definitely has an owner. The mayor should have lodged a complaint with the police to conduct an investigation regarding the letter circulating in her name as soon as the media reported about the letter. This is not a crime that should be taken lightly. Those who are capable of preparing a letter like this in the name of the mayor are also capable of creating other issues in the corporation. If the letter is fake, it is not difficult to find its source. There are many people in the police who are capable of finding it out. The evidence will be still present on the computer and printer in which the letter was prepared. The police will be able to recover it. The party should not have considered this as an issue that could be solved at the party level. The party and the mayor should have tried to choose an appropriate and reliable way to find the truth regarding the controversy that created a lot of doubts not only among the opposition but also among the people.

Whether Left Front or UDF is in power, it is common practice to appoint their dear ones through the back door. That is the nature of temporary appointments. No matter how few vacancies there are in the departments under the government, there are systematic ways of recruitment. However, the authorities generally follow the practice of selecting temporary employees without reporting the vacancies. We can see temporary employees who have been in service like this for ten to fifteen years in various departments. Many of these temporary employees later got regularized in the name of humanitarian consideration. Recently, the court has taken a strict stand against this trend. However, there is no shortage of backdoor appointments.

The mayor's controversial letter was seeking a list of party workers to be appointed to 295 temporary vacancies in the Corporation. When there are so many openings in the corporation, appointments should be made in a systematic manner. If there is a possibility of permanent appointments, PSC can make appointments in a transparent way. In case of immediate need, employment exchange can be approached for recruitment. Direct appointment by the municipality is not the right approach. Any decision taken by public institutions should be such that the people also get confidence.