Uproar in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation council over Mayor-KSRTC driver tiff

Heated exchanges at Thiruvananthapuram city council meeting over Mayor's confrontation with KSRTC driver spark controversy.

A meeting of the Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation council on Tuesday witnessed heated exchanges between councillors of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) over the controversy surrounding a tiff between Mayor Arya Rajendran and a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) driver.  

In her reply, an emotional Ms. Rajendran said that it was unfortunate that a woman was being hounded for questioning someone who made obscene gestures at her.

Half an hour into the meeting, BJP councillors trooped into the well raising slogans against the Mayor and they soon staged a walkout. The UDF councillors who stayed behind for the discussion later walked out in protest towards the fag end of the meeting.

BJP councillor K. Anilkumar raised the issue as soon as the proceedings began, questioning the Mayor’s conduct. He said that the Mayor should have informed the Opposition councillors about the issue. With the Opposition councillors hurling allegations at the Mayor, the LDF councillors rose from their seats, leading to a shouting match between both sides.

Though LDF councillor D.R. Anil demanded that a resolution be passed demanding dismissal of H.L. Yadhu, the driver, it was not passed.

UDF councillor P. Padmakumar said that if the claims made by the Mayor were true, she should have taken steps worthy of her position rather than blocking the bus and causing difficulties to the passengers. He demanded that she apologise for her behaviour.

LDF councillor Amshu Vamadevan alleged the BJP and the UDF of having an unholy nexus with a section of the visual media, who have given a different spin to the whole issue.