Dramatic scenes played out yet again in the city Corporation council hall on Friday with the councillors of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who had been on an indefinite protest over a fund misappropriation issue, attempting to block the Mayor and the councillors of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) from reaching the hall. Despite this, the meeting went ahead under police protection, and the agenda items were passed within a few minutes.
Before the council meeting began in the afternoon, the BJP councillors, who had been staying inside the hall for the past several days as part of the protest, laid down along the entry points in an attempt to block the ruling party councillors from entering the hall. However, Mayor Arya Rajendran and the councillors managed to enter, with some of them even forced to jump over the councillors lying on the ground.
Sloganeering
With police personnel posted on either side, the Mayor read out an obituary reference on actor Nedumudi Venu. The agenda items were also passed quickly with a few amendments proposed by the standing committee chairpersons, even as the councillors of the BJP and the United Democratic Front (UDF) continued their sloganeering from inside the well demanding the arrest of all the accused in the fund misappropriation issue.
Welfare standing committee chairperson S. Salim moved a resolution condemning the attempt to disrupt the council proceedings, while Works standing committee chairperson D.R. Anil said a complaint would be filed against the BJP councillors for the unruly behaviour.
Separate marches
Once the Mayor declared the end of the meeting, some of the BJP councillors yet again attempted to block the exits, but the police personnel cleared them off. This was followed by a flurry of marches, with the LDF councillors claiming victory for the successful conduct of the meeting, while the BJP and the UDF councillors took out separate marches, accusing the administration of shielding the accused. Outside the Corporation office too, youth activists of the BJP were seen constantly voicing slogans.
Speaking to press persons later, the Mayor condemned the attempts to disrupt the proceedings, and by extension, the functioning of the Corporation.
BJP district president and councillor V.V. Rajesh, in a statement, said the attempt to remove the protesting BJP councillors from the hall was condemnable. He said the BJP would extend the protest to the City Police Commissioner's office if all the accused were not arrested.
Till now, three officials from the zonal offices have been arrested over the misappropriation issue.
