Thiruvananthapuram: The special council session called to discuss corruption in the Corporation office turned into a mockery and ended up in a ruckus.
After a two-hour-long meaningless discussion, the packed council hall witnessed tense moments as BJP and UDF councillors locked horns pushing and shoving each other.
The session ended as soon as UDF councillor Mary Pushpam called BJP Councillor P Ashok Kumar a ‘Shikhandi’. The remark triggered instant agitation as the BJP councillors demanded that Mary Pu-shpam withdraw her statement which led to chaos. Unlike other council sessions, the council hall was filled with citizens and officials who enjoyed the drama. BJP councillors argued against the agenda presented by the UDF councillors.
Mr Ashok Kumar criticised the UDF councillors for not intervening against corruption in various committees in the civic body where they were members.
The long pending demand of the UDF councillors to have a special council to discuss corruption turned into a mere political exercise ahead of the upcoming local body elections.
Both UDF and LDF councillors were engaged in trading charges rather than coming up with a solid discussion on corruption. UDF councillors were seen holding newspaper cuttings on corruption.
Opposition leader Johnson Joseph said that the BJP councillors came to the special council with the agenda of saving the face of the LDF ruling front. He alleged that BJP councilors were very much part of the corruption carried out by the ruling front. UDF councillors came up with strong corruption charges against LED street light project. UDF councillors alleged that there was massive corruption in the deal between SIDCO- the agency chosen by the Corporation for the ambitious LED project. The ruling front countered the charges saying that it was baseless as the agency chosen was a public sector undertaking.
