THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM has rallied behind embattled Mayor Arya Rajendran even as the Congress demanded her resignation and the BJP decided to approach the governor against her “illegal actions.”
Arya landed in soup after a letter, purportedly written by her to CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan, asking for suitable candidates from the party for temporary appointment in Thiruvanathapuram Corporation, went viral.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the Mayor had already clarified that the letter was not hers and that she would seek legal recourse. “Let the matter be examined. The chief minister, in his capacity as home minister, can look into it,” Govindan said.
The CPM state secretary said neither his party nor the LDF follows the policy of infiltrating its cadres through the backdoor. He said the government has also clarified that the 295 posts will be filled through the employment exchange. State Congress president K Sudhakaran told reporters in Kannur that Arya’s action was in accordance with the LDF government’s general policy of infiltrating its cadre into various posts.
“She should apologise to the people or step down from her post. If she tries to justify her illegal actions, there will be fierce protests from Congress and the UDF,” Sudhakaran said. Meanwhile, a team of 35 BJP councillors, led by the party’s district president V V Rajesh, will call on Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at 11.30am on Monday to apprise him of the “nepotism” in the city corporation.
The visit comes at a time when the governor is engaged in a confrontation with the government over nepotism in appointments and other issues. “The party will not only highlight the recent incident but also a series of incidents of corruption in the city Corporation over the past two years,” Rajesh said.