Assembly adjourned for the day following UDF protest

Thiruvananthapuram: Slogan-shouting UDF members disrupted the proceedings of the Assembly for the second day today.

The UD members were protesting against the agreement reached between government and self-financing colleges and police action against Youth Congress workers who were agitating against the agreement in different parts of the Sate.

The flash point came when Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan alleged that those who had shown black flags to him yesterday were not Youth Congress workers but someone hired by television channels. This provoked the UDF members who rushed to the well of the House raising slogans. Kerala Congress (Mani) and BJP from the Opposition did not participate in the protest.

The Chief Minister-- who was responding to notice for moving an adjournment motion given by Shafi Parambil (Congress) over yesterday’s police action, continued with his speech after the UDF members started staging a sit-in in the House.

Protesting against the sarcastic speech of the Chief Minister, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded that Mr. Vijayan should withdraw his remarks or the Speaker should expunge them.  The Chief Minister should not be using language spoken on the street. However, the Speaker said that he could not direct the neither the Chief Minister nor the Opposition Leader as to what they should say.

As the Opposition protests continued, the Speaker cancelled calling attentions and submissions and rushed through the rest of the business. Demands for grants for Land Revenue, Agriculture Income Tax and Sales Tax, District Administration and Miscellaneous, Housing and Relief on Account of Natural Calamities were passed without debate and the House adjourned for the day.

Earlier, the Chief Minister said that the Youth Congress should withdraw the agitation appreciating the realities. The agreement with the college managements had already been entered into and it could not be altered now.

He said that of 23 medical colleges in the State, 20 had entered into agreement with the government. One more might join now. Admissions in these colleges would have to be completed without delay. Action would be taken if any college bypassed merit-based admissions.

Mr. Vijayan said that the police had shown restrain despite the Youth Congress protesters attacking the police on Monday.  Youth Congress workers had resorted to violence at several places in the State and 18 Youth Congress workers and seven policemen had been injured. The Youth Congress workers had used red paint to enhance their injuries.

The Opposition Leader said that the police were attacking peaceful agitations by the Youth Congress. “We don’t encourage violence.”  The paint cans portrayed in a report in the CPI (M) organ were ones used by MSF for painting.

Mr. Chennithala said that the students were being forced to pay capitation fee, make refundable deposits and provide bank guarantees.  The James Committee was ineffective. Though the Pariyaram Medical College, headed by CPI (M) leader M. V. Jayarajan, asked for a fee of only 11 lakhs, the government allowed it to collect Rs. 14 lakhs for management quota.

Mr. Shafi Parambil said that the Pariayaram Medical College was collecting the same fee as private managements. The fee for seats under government quota was hiked from Rs. 1.85 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh. So, the Youth Congress was agitating for a genuine cause.