Opposition boycotts Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: UDF members boycotted the Assembly after protests over the self-financing medical college issue in the House on Thursday.

They raised banners and posters and moved into the well of the House objecting to the Speaker not allowing an adjournment motion to be moved on the issue. Kerala Congress (M) members went out of the House as UDF members started the demonstration.

In view of the protest, the Speaker adjourned the House briefly and held discussions with party leaders. However, no settlement could be reached.

When the sitting resumed, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala announced that UDF was boycotting the sitting. It would continue the satyagraha by five member of the UDF in the foyer of the House (which began on Wednesday).

Mr. Chennithala said that the though centralised allotment came into force from today as per the order of the Supreme Court, the college managements were refusing to report remaining vacancies. The agitation would continue until the issues are resolved.

He criticised Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan for not allowing him to speak during question hour on Wednesday, recalling that E. M. S. Namboodiripad had been allowed to speak during question hour when he was the Opposition Leader.

The Speaker retorted that precedents had to be evaluated against the circumstances. In this case, he did not feel that the issue raised by Mr. Chennithala did not merit an urgent statement.

Earlier, Health Minister K. K. Shylaja told the House that fee hike had been effected only in the case of categories for which annual hikes were being allowed. None of the complaints before James Committee supervising admissions was about fee hike, but about managements demanding fees in excess of what was specified under their agreement with government.

She noted that the Supreme Court had declined to disturb the allotment made under agreement between the government and managements. The State had told the Court that it was for Centralised allotment from next year.

Sunny Joseph (Congress), who had given notice for the adjournment motion, noted that even the student wings of ruling parties—AISF and SFI had protested against the fee hike. They had alleged that large sums were being collected by the managements, taking advantage of the High Court order.

He said that the police had registered case against five Youth Congress and KSU activists for showing black flags to the Chief Minister. Hiding this fact, the Chief Minister had claimed that they had been hired by television channels.