Thiruvananthapuram: Intensifying its stir against the ruling combine, the Congress on Wednesday said that it would expose all back-door appointments made by the CPM and LDF in various public sector institutions and government departments in the state.

The UDF would expose one by one, all such appointments made by the ruling CPM's district secretaries and ministers' offices without reporting the vacancies to the Public Service Commission, said Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan.

He was speaking after visiting the Congress councillors who have been staging agitation at the City Corporation here demanding the resignation of Mayor Arya Rajendran over a purported letter written by her seeking the priority list of party cadres to be appointed in temporary vacancies in the Left-ruled civic body.

Satheesan said the ongoing Crime Branch probe, ordered by the government, was just an 'eyewash' and a ploy to save the CPM leaders and the Mayor, facing allegations over the incident.

"Tens of thousands of illegal appointments are being made in various public sector institutions and government departments in the state. The party-led UDF will expose one by one such back-door appointments, made by the ruling CPI-M's district secretaries and ministers' offices without reporting the vacancies to the employment exchanges and the Public Service Commission," he said.

The Left government has cheated the unemployed youths in the state and is appointing only relatives and party members, he alleged.

"The government has given an oral instruction to the department heads not to report even a single vacancy to the PSC to protect those who have been appointed illegally," Satheesan said.

Protests continue
For the third day in a row, the Corporation headquarters here continued to witness intense protests by the opposition councillors on Wednesday. Police had to use water cannons to remove the protesters, including women by force from the premises.

Workers of Mahila Morcha, the women's wing of the BJP, marched toward the Corporation and the conflict resulted. After crossing the barricade, the activists entered the corporation premises and the police lathicharged them.

Meanwhile, the Mahila Congress marched to the DGP's office demanding that a case be filed against the CPM leaders who insulted women and to end the failure and inaction of the police.

 

(With PTI inputs)