A row between the supporters of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the Kochi Corporation marred the opening of the dialysis centre at the Fort Kochi Taluk Hospital on Saturday.
Welfare Standing Committee Chairman A.B. Sabu, who came to the function, was prevented by the LDF supporters. Mayor Soumini Jain blamed the LDF activists for the incidents. She blamed K.J. Maxi, MLA, for the ruckus at the venue. She told reporters that the behaviour of Mr. Maxi was not in accordance with his position as MLA.
The MLA had staged a protest before the venue. But he denied the Mayor’s allegation that he was responsible for the incidents.
“Former Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar inaugurated the dialysis centre in September last year without any basic facilities other than installing the dialysis machine. The centre became a functional unit after the LDF government came to power and provided the necessary financial assistance. The meeting of the hospital management committee had agreed to bring Health Minister K.K. Shailaja for the formal opening of the centre,” Mr. Maxi said.
According to Mr. Maxi, he had informed the Mayor two days ago that the Minister was available for the function on December 31. “The Mayor then organised the event on Saturday without informing the hospital management committee,” he said. This led to the protest, he added.
The Mayor said there were some technical works that had to be completed before the opening of the centre. It was decided that since the centre had already been inaugurated there was no need to inaugurate it again and that the centre would be formally opened to the public in the presence of the Mayor on Saturday, she said.
Ernakulam District Congress Committee president T.J. Vinod condemned the incidents and said the CPI (M)’s ‘fascist’ tendencies would be resisted. He said in a statement that there was a deliberate attempt to choke the democratic process and the functioning of the local government body.
