Corruption allegations against two councillors of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) roiled a council meeting of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on Thursday, with the councillors of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) demanding the resignation of the accused. Councillors of the rival parties nearly came to blows on more than one occasion in a tense meeting in which no other agenda was discussed.

The LDF councillors, who came with placards against the councillors, accused Punnakkamugal councillor P.V. Manju of aiding a coverup in the alleged misappropriation of around ₹3 lakh collected by the local Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) unit as user fee from households in the ward. The issue came to light when some of the members of the unit raised a complaint with the junior health inspector that their monthly wages, which is dependent on the user fee, was delayed. The LDF accused Ms. Manju of organising a meeting at her house to hush up the issue.

After media report

Though Ms. Manju claimed that she had lodged a complaint with the Poojappura police station on June 23, Mayor Arya Rajendran said that the councillor lodged the complaint only after the media reported it. Although the HKS members had earlier informed her about the issue, she did not report it to the officials concerned. A team led by the Corporation secretary will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations. The Corporation has also lodged a complaint with the Poojappura police station, said the Mayor.

The other allegation was against Pappanamcode councillor G.S. Asha Nath, whom the LDF accused of collecting money from beneficiaries for providing the Corporation’s application for various schemes. The allegations were based on a social media post that she had made earlier this month in which she claimed that a person who is no longer an office-bearer of the BJP has been collecting money illegally in her name for providing application forms. The LDF alleged that the councillor put up the post as a face saver.

Allegations were also raised against Thirumala councillor K. Anil Kumar, who was not present at the meeting, of threatening the Haritha Karma Sena workers to join the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the trade union affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Bharat Mata stickers

The entire meeting was drowned in sloganeering and shouting matches. The BJP councillors, all of whom had pinned Bharat Mata stickers on their attire in protest over the ongoing Bharat Mata row, walked into the well of the council hall and got into shouting matches with the LDF councillors.

The women councillors of the BJP stepped on to the dais, blocking the Mayor’s view as she addressed the council, prompting the women councillors of the LDF to line up behind the Mayor. Ms. Rajendran accused one of the BJP councillors of abusing her family members.

The meeting concluded with the passing of all agendas amid the loud sloganeering from both sides.