The Neyyattinkara municipality’s council meeting held on Friday witnessed dramatic scenes after Municipal Chairperson W.R.Heeba of the ruling CPI(M) and opposition leader Lalitha of the Congress fainted during the confrontation between the two parties and were hospitalised.
The Youth Congress members have been holding a fast for the past three days in front of the municipality raising corruption allegations against the ruling party. According to sources in the municipality, the Congress councillors did not participate in the council meeting initially. As the meeting was about to conclude, the Congress councillors marched in, raising slogans.
After dissolving the meeting, Ms. Heeba attempted to leave the hall, when the Congress councillors blocked the doorway. In the melee that followed, she fainted and fell on Ms. Lalitha, and both of them fell to the ground. Both were first shifted to the taluk hospital.
Since Ms.Heeba had recently had an eye operation and is suspected to have sustained injuries to the eye during the fall, she was shifted to the Government Eye Hospital in the capital, while Ms.Lalitha was shifted to the Medical College Hospital.
“We had raised serious allegations of corruption against the ruling party, regarding LIFE housing project and over other issues, over which a vigilance investigation has begun. One of their councillors also got a house under LIFE project. The Youth Congress protest was set to conclude today. The Chairperson’s attempt was to quickly finish off the meeting today in our absence. When we marched to the council hall, she attempted to leave and pushed Ms. Lalitha,” said Congress councillor A.Salim.
According to CPI(M) councillor P.Murukan, the vigilance investigation is against independent councillor C.Saju, based on a complaint by a CPI(M) local committee secretary over alleged corruption in road works and over a LIFE project house in his ward, which had area much above the permissible limits.
“This independent councillor used to be a supporter of the ruling party and was a standing committee chairman for two amd a half years. He was later removed, when he gravitated towards the Congress. The corruption allegation against him has been portrayed as something against the CPI(M) by the opposition and a section of the media. The councillor Soumya got a house under the LIFE project using legitimate documents. Since her husband is a mason, he was able to save a lot of money and build a house larger than the one possible with the LIFE funds,” said Mr.Murukan.
The Neyyatinkara police arrested and removed the Youth Congress workers who were protesting in front of the municipality.