In a significant political statement, Kerala's Education Minister V Sivankutty declared on Tuesday that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) would adopt the role of an ideal and constructive opposition within the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation. This comes after the party lost the civic body to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent local body elections.
CPM's Pledge for Responsible Opposition
Minister Sivankutty, who is also a former mayor of the capital city, drew a sharp contrast between his party's intended approach and the conduct of the previous ruling group. He accused the BJP of having unleashed a period of chaos within the corporation council over the past five years. The minister firmly stated that the CPM would not replicate such disruptive tactics, emphasizing respect for the public's electoral mandate.
"We won't do what BJP did in the past five years in the corporation council. We respect the public mandate," Sivankutty affirmed. His comments set the tone for how the Left party plans to navigate its new position outside the ruling bench in the crucial urban local body.
Key Issues and Criticism of Congress
Shifting focus to civic governance, Sivankutty highlighted a pressing local issue. He expressed the CPM's desire for the newly elected mayor, V V Rajesh, to bring the persistent problem of stray dog menace in Thiruvananthapuram to the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to the city.
"The mayor should give a representation to the PM seeking his intervention to end the stray dog menace," the minister suggested. This appeal indicates the party's strategy to push for central government involvement in solving a major civic concern affecting residents.
However, Sivankutty did not spare the Indian National Congress from criticism. He squarely blamed the Congress for the political rise of the BJP in the city corporation, alleging that the party had effectively become a "recruitment agency" for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's ideological parent organization. He specifically criticized Congress leaders, including Kowdiar ward councillor K S Sabarinadhan and MP K Muraleedharan, for supporting arguments made by BJP councillor R Sreelekha in a recent controversy over office space.
Focus on Substantive Governance
The minister also addressed a simmering dispute regarding the verification of documents related to corporation buildings given on rent and their utilization. While acknowledging the corporation's right to verify such documents, Sivankutty cautioned that the council must have a proper understanding of the distinct powers vested in the civic body and the state government.
He questioned the priority being given to this issue, arguing that the corporation's attention should be directed toward more serious and pressing civic problems. "Why should one go after issues like corporation building utilisation when there are too many serious issues that demand the attention of city corporation?" he asked, urging the new administration to focus on substantive public welfare matters instead of what he implied were politically motivated pursuits.
The minister's comprehensive remarks outline the CPM's roadmap as the principal opposition in Thiruvananthapuram, combining a promise of responsible politics with pointed criticism of both the ruling BJP and the Congress, while steering the discourse toward key urban challenges.
