Kalamassery municipality chairperson Jessy Peter said here on Wednesday that she has no plans to resign from the post ahead of a District Congress Committee (DCC) meeting scheduled on Thursday to decide on the proposed disciplinary action against her.
T.J. Vinod, DCC president, had on Tuesday asked Ms. Peter to step down from the post in tune with an agreement reached earlier that she would relinquish the post on November 8. Ms. Peter was elected as the chairperson instead of Rukia Jamal, wife of Jamal Manakkadan (previous chairman) after then Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V. M. Sudheeran adopted a stance that first-time councillors should not be elected as parliamentary party leaders, if there were experienced ones.
Ms. Peter, who was admitted at a private hospital in Manjummel on Tuesday following high blood pressure levels, alleged that the move to oust her was aimed at elevating Ms. Jamal as the chairperson of the local body. “They had been attempting to pull me down right from the day I had assumed charge as chairperson,” she said.
Ms. Peter said that she had not officially received the letter sent by Mr. Vinod asking her to step down from the post.
“I have tried reaching KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran to present my views and also spoke to M.M. Hassan, former president, on the latest developments,” she said.
The district unit of the Congress party had asked Ms. Peter to step down based on an agreement reached in July. It had also made clear that the KPCC had not issued any directive asking the DCC to refrain from demanding Ms. Peter’s resignation.
The meeting on Thursday is likely to decide on whether a no-confidence motion should be moved against the chairperson. Of the 42 wards in the municipality, the United Democratic Front has a strength of 23 seats while the Left Democratic Front has 15 seats. The ruling council also enjoys the support of four Independent members.
