Minister Sivankutty dismisses councillors claim over MLA office
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: R Sreelekhas demand to vacate the Sasthamangalam office used by Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth was a challenge to the democratic system, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said on Sunday. Alleging political vendetta behind the move, he said Sreelekha had neither the right nor the authority to raise any claim over a corporation building. He claimed the attempt to disrupt the functioning of an office that served thousands of people in Vattiyoorkavu over the past seven years was politically motivated. Sivankutty said the state government had taken a clear decision allowing MLAs to function from offices under the control of the state government, municipal corporations and panchayats, irrespective of party affiliations. This was followed even during the tenures of the LDF and UDF governments, he said. Emphasising that an elected representatives office is not merely a building but a place where people access services, he said, Targeting an office that is functioning legally after paying the rent fixed by the corporation violates basic norms and propriety. Sivankutty, a former mayor of Thiruvananthapuram corporation, also said the municipal secretary has the authority to issue an eviction notice. Any move against the MLAs office while the legally valid contract period is in force, bypassing due procedure, amounts to challenging the mandate of people of Vattiyoorkavu, he said, asserting that the work of a popular MLA cannot be undermined by such cheap tactics.
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