Complaint filed against Arya over letter seeking CPM backers for civic jobs

Thiruvananthapuram: KPCC member J S Akhil has filed a complaint against Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran with the State Election Commission for allegedly writing to CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan, asking for party's priority list for temporary appointments in the Corporation.

The letter to the election watchdog requests to declare her incompetent to hold the office, as her action amounts to “thorough violation of the oath administered by her in the capacity of the Councillor.”

The opposition Congress and BJP have demanded her immediate resignation and are staging protests in the capital for the same.

Meanwhile, the Mayor, along with Deputy Mayor P K Raju, told the media today that the letter and the signature in it are fake.

Raju, who was reportedly injured in the protests staged by the opposition parties, was hospitalised on Saturday morning.

The purported letter, addressing Nagappan as "comrade", was written on the official letter pad of the Mayor.

Rajendran, in the letter dated November 1, purportedly informed that the CPI(M)-ruled city corporation had decided to appoint employees in various posts of its health wing on a daily wage basis.

A break-up chart of various posts and the number of vacancies in each category including public health expert, doctor, staff nurse, pharmacist, lab technician, part-time sweeper and so on was also given in the controversial letter.

The 23-year-old mayor requested the party district secretary to provide the priority list of cadres to be appointed by November 16, the last date of submission of applications.

Appointments through employment exchange
Local self-government minister MB Rajesh said on Saturday that the temporary openings in the Corporation would be filled through employment exchange.

About 295 vacancies would be handed over to the exchange, the ministe said.

Nagappan unaware of letter?
Reacting to the controversy, Nagappan said such a letter did not come to his notice and there was no need for the mayor to write a letter like that.

"I have not received such a letter. No one has given a reply also," he told reporters here.

When asked why a police complaint was not given if that letter was fake, the leader said this question should be asked to the Mayor.

The mayor is not in the state capital as she is away for a function in Kozhikode and I could not contact her over phone, Nagappan added.

The party would respond in the matter after talking to the mayor in this regard, he said.

Vehement protests ensue
The issue triggered a political row after local media reported about the controversial letter allegedly sent by the mayor.

Stepping up their attack against the CPI(M)-led LDF government over the development, the Congress and BJP charged that it was yet another example of their attempt to induct party cadres in state-run institutions.

"The Mayor, who had violated the oath of office and conducted nepotism, has no right to remain in the post any more...Arya Rajendran should resign and face legal action at the earliest," AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said.

According to the National Employment Exchange Act, vacancies in government and semi-government institutions should be reported to the employment exchanges of the respective district, he said, adding that the Left-ruled corporation however violated all these laws and procedures.

Kerala PCC chief K Sudharakan said the alleged letter by the mayor was no surprise as the Left rule is for the party cadres only.

"The mayor's letter is a blatant violation of existing laws," he told reporters here.

Coming down heavily on the mayor, BJP state chief K Surendran demanded that the administrative panel of the Left-ruled civic body should be dissolved.

"This is a challenge to the lakhs of youths in the state. Kerala is now going through a terrible situation where if you want to get a job in a government institution, you have to be a CPI(M) member or a relative of CPI(M) leaders or ministers," he said.

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is also following the same policy of the Pinarayi Vijayan government that jobs are reserved only for CPI(M) workers, the BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, Youth Congress and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activists took out protest marches to the city corporation demanding Rajendran's resignation.

(With inputs from PTI)