UDF disrupts Assembly proceedings

Thiruvananthapuram: UDF members of the Opposition disrupted the proceedings of Kerala Assembly over self-financing college issue on Monday, forcing a brief adjournment of the House.

They agreed to resumption of the proceedings only after the government promised to hold discussions with leaders of the Opposition on the issue.

The UDF, which sought to move an adjournment motion on the issue during zero hour, staged a demonstration in the well of the House after the Speaker refused permission to move the motion.

As the proceedings were stalled in the din created by the UDF members, the Speaker adjourned the House. However, the UDF members remained in the House and staged a sit-in in the well of the House.

Members of the Kerala Congress (Mani), which had quit the UDF recently, did not join the sit-in but walked out of the House.

The House resumed the sitting after the Speaker held talks with the Opposition leaders and Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan made a statement to the effect that the government was willing for talks with the Opposition agitating over the issue.  Health Minister K. K. Shylaja will hold the talks.

The government will take stern steps if any management undermined merit based admissions as alleged by the Opposition, the Chief Minister said.

Earlier, leading the protest, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the government had allowed the biggest swindle that Kerala had seen by allowing hefty increase in fees in self-financing professional colleges. “Till now, no government has permitted such a hike in fees.” There was gross corruption behind all these.

The Opposition Leader said that the government was confused over the issue from the beginning. It failed to go on appeal against the favourable verdict obtained by the college managements on the decision of the government to make allotments to all seats. In the High Court, the government did not argue the case properly.

Mr. Chennithala noted that the government had allowed increase of fees in merit seats by 35.14 per cent. This was unprecedented. Many students were also being asked to make deposits with colleges.

Though the Health Minister K. K. Shylaja had said there were no complaints from students, the Student Federation of India itself had complained that merit, social justice and online admissions had been undermined. There were many complaints before James Committee supervising admissions about denial of admissions on the basis of merit.

In Pariyaram Medical College, managed by the CPI (M) leaders, the fee was Rs. 2.5 lakhs a year. For Management quota, the fee had been raised from Rs. 6.5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh. This was near Koothuparamba where DYFI leaders had sacrificed their lives over self-financing colleges.

The Health Minister said that the government had not gone on appeal because the sea allotments were to be completed before November 30. There were no irregularities in admissions this time and 120 more students could get subsidised seats with annual fee of Rs. 25000 this year.

Ms. Shylaja alleged that leaders of the UDF had cornered concessional seats from managements during UDF rule. She was not naming them.

The Opposition protested over the Minister’s allegations and Mr. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan demanded that she should disclose the names instead of making blanket allegations.

Congress leader V. S. Sivakumar, who had given notice for the motion, said that the government had betrayed the students by permitting unprecedented hike in fees.  The fees were beyond what they could pay.

He recalled that the hike in fee permitted by the UDF government was only 6.81 per cent. The present government had increased it by Rs. 65000 (35.14%) for merit seats and Rs. 3.25 lakh for management seats.

He said that there were more seats in the subsidised category because the previous government started new medical colleges.

Outside the Assembly, Youth Congress workers staged protests over the fee hike and admission norms and clashed with police. The police used water cannons to disperse protesters before the Secretariat.

Though the Health Minister held discussions with the Youth Congress leaders, the talks failed. The Youth Congress said that it would continue its hunger strike before Secretariat.