THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition UDF began an indefinite satyagraha in front of the Assembly Hall main entrance on Monday afternoon, intensifying demand for the resignation of Health Minister K K Shylaja for alleged nepotism even as she denied any wrong doing and the government filed an appeal seeking to expunge adverse remarks by the High Court.MLAs V P Sajeendran, Roji M John and Eldhose Kunnappally (all Congress) and M Shamsudeen and T V Ibrahim (both IUML) launched the day-and-night satyagraha.
The move came in the wake of the damning judgment by the High Court the other day pointing fingers at the minister regarding the appointment of a controversial CPM nominee with a criminal background as a member of the State Child Rights Commission,and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remaining unfazed and justifying her.Clarifying her stand on the appointment of members of State Child Rights panel, Shylaja, who also holds the social justice portfolio, said there was no political interference in the appointments.
‘’There is nothing wrong on my part in the appointments to the Child Rights Panel. In my entire political career, I have not used politics for any personal gains,’’ she said in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the state government on Monday filed an appeal seeking to expunge adverse remarks against Shylaja by a single judge while quashing the appointments of T B Sureshkumar, CPM Wayanad District Committee member and Syamala Devi (Kasaragod) as members of the State Child Rights Commission.
The petition stated that the remarks and observations were made without making the Minister as a respondent in the case.