THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Unruly scenes prevailed during the council meeting at the corporation office after the woman BJP councillors laid siege on the council hall dais to stop Mayor Arya Rajendran from entering the hall. The mayor and corporation secretary Binu Francis were able to enter only after fifteen minutes of confrontation by the police to removed the protesters. Councillors from the BJP and UDF continued their protest throughout the hall, holding banners with the slogan, ‘Go Back, Go Back.’
The council meeting was scheduled for 2.30pm. When the first alarm bell rang, the BJP woman councillors, led by opposition leader M R Gopan, rushed to the dais to stop the mayor from entering the hall. The woman councillors also laid down on the floor. The police stationed at the office for security eventually came to the hall and tried to remove the BJP councillors from the dais. This led to a scuffle between the police and BJP councillors.
Soon, DCP Ajit Kumar arrived and instructed the woman police to remove the protesters. The women police personnel had to toil in removing the councillors as the officers were less in number. The mayor arrived by 2.45pm and started the proceedings despite strong protests from BJP and UDF councillors at the hall. To accompany their slogans, the UDF councillors arrived with small hand cymbals and dholaks.
However, the mayor started with an announcement that the Thiruvananthapuram corporation had won the first prize from the state government this year for the best disabled-friendly city. Soon, the LDF councillors cheered it up. Welfare standing committee chairman S Salim said the award recognises the city corporation’s hard work. He also criticised the protests of BJP and UDF councillors. “UDF councillors are assisting the BJP by playing percussion instruments. This should not be allowed in the council hall. So I request the mayor to take disciplinary action against them,” Salim said. Works standing committee chairman D R Anil requested the mayor to suspend the UDF councillors for bringing percussion instruments to the council hall.
Deputy mayor P K Raju criticised and ridiculed the protesters, pointing out another letter that came out in the media purportedly written by the Governor to the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vaijayan to regularise his 20 staff. Later, the mayor also said that the protesters should follow the basic ethics of protesting. The meeting was dismissed around 4pm. After that, UDF and BJP councillors protested on the premises of the corporation.