Thiruvananthapuram: The protests against Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran over the controversial letter allegedly written by her regarding employing party cadres in the civic body continued on Friday.
BJP activists clashed with the police at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation office and attempted to jump over barricades during the agitation in the state capital. A protester fell unconscious after police resorted to tear gas and water canons to disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Mayor made it clear that she will not resign from her post as long as she had the Councillors' backing.
'I took charge as the Mayor with the votes of 55 councillors. As long as I have the support of the councillors and the people I will continue as Mayor. The complaint with the Chief Minister is being investigated. Crime Branch has already taken my statement. I have explained the duties of the employees and the workflow of the corporation to the officers. The probe will take its natural course," the Mayor said while adding that she is yet to receive the court's notice.
The Kerala High Court had on Thursday sought the response of the LDF government and the Mayor on a plea seeking a CBI probe or a judicial inquiry into the controversial letter.
Justice K Babu issued notice to the state government, Kerala police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Vigilance Directorate, Rajendran and LDF Parliamentary Party secretary D R Anil, seeking their replies to the petition by a former councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
On Thursday, BJP and Congress protests had taken place at the Corporation office with the police resorting to lathicharge, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors comprising youth and women wings of both parties which are seeking Rajendran's resignation over the letter.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather, protesting with a suitcase, told reporters that Rajendran was an "insult to women" and she should go away from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode.
Later, Mahila Congress workers claimed that Mather was beaten by the police and she was shown being taken to a hospital.
BJP state president K Surendran also arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation office where, while addressing the media and party workers, he alleged that not just the letter, "the mayor and the Kerala Chief Minister were also fake".
Ever since the letter allegedly written by Rajendran was released in public domain, both the BJP and Congress have been demanding her resignation and their councillors and party workers also staged protests at the Corporation office.
The alleged letter, written to the CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan, had sought the priority list of party cadres to be appointed in temporary vacancies in the Left-ruled civic body.
The young Mayor has right from the beginning denied that she wrote, signed or sent any such letter and claimed that it appeared to be "edited".
She has also said that she suspects it to be politically motivated and also brushed aside demands for her resignation by the opposition Congress and BJP, by terming the same as a "joke".
