KL This Week: Dissent in KPCC over Reorganisation Amid Block Level Appointments

NewsClick brings a roundup of important happenings in Kerala in the past week, including the onset of the Southwest monsoon after a delay of almost a week, the strike following the suicide of a student at Amal Jyothi Engineering College in Kottayam, and internal squabbles in the Congress party after the appointment of the new president to the block committees. 

MONSOON BRINGS HEAVY RAINS

The Southeast monsoon arrived in the state on June 8, after a delay of one week, the longest delay in the past seven years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has confirmed. There were apprehensions over the impact of the Biporjoy storm taking away the moisture, but the IMD has sounded optimistic about a satisfactory monsoon. 

The onset of the monsoon has brought heavy rains across several districts. The IMD has warned fishermen about venturing into the sea due to unfavourable conditions and rough seas. The Northern districts including Kasargod, Kannur, and Kozhikode received intense rainfall with gusty winds bringing relief from the heat wave. 

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for eight districts as the monsoon is expected to advance over other parts of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. 

PROTEST OVER STUDENT'S SUICIDE 

The suicide of a 20-year-old student, Sradha, a second-year food technology student of Amal Jyothi Engineering College in Kanjirapally, Kottayam district led to a protest by the students and subsequent closure of the college. The last letter written by the student has been considered a suicide note, the police informed.

The High Court of Kerala has ordered the police to provide protection to the college after the protests for a period of one month. 

There was a minor altercation between the students and police after they tried to “lay siege” to the college. The Students Federation of India (SFI) led the protest of the students who had been complaining about harassment by college and hostel authorities over the usage of mobile phones. 

After the assurance that the crime branch will investigate the case, the students withdrew from the protest. The SFI has alleged that the college has built a separate path for the girl students to reach the hostels. There are complaints about moral policing on the campus, including “slut shaming” by authorities.

MASS RESIGNATIONS IN KPCC OVER REORGANISATION

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is facing the ire of its long-term members over the reorganisation exercise. Hundreds of members have resigned from the primary membership of the party after several leaders were sidelined in appointments to the president's posts at the block level. 

The two dominant groups in the KPCC, A and I groups have alleged that they have been sidelined by the KPCC president K Sudhakaran and leader of the opposition (LoP) V D Satheesan – both of whom are not part of these groups. The two groups had approached the high command for intervention, but no favourable response was reportedly received. 

The absence of prominent leaders including former CM Oomen Chandy and former LoP Ramesh Chennithala has been used to its advantage by the present leadership. Ramesh Chennitha and M M Hasan from the I and A groups are making attempts to reach high command over the concerns of the groups.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has reportedly decided not to intervene in the matter since it is related only to appointments at the block level. 

TEXTILE MILL WORKERS PROTEST

The Textile Mill Workers’ Union, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), held a secretariat march demanding protection of the industry, work, and assured wages. The textile mills in the state are facing setbacks due to a lack of work in recent times, leading to the distress of the workers. 

The CITU has demanded the government intervene and end the layoffs in the textile mills. The workers also urged the state government to approach the union government to reopen the closed mills and ensure PF pension for the workers as per the Supreme Court order. 

CITU state secretary and member of the legislative assembly P P Chitharanjan inaugurated the secretariat march. The president of the Federation of Textile Mill Workers, P Nanda Kumar, and other CITU leaders were present. 

TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS REDUCED AFTER AI CAMERAS OPERATE

The number of traffic violations has reduced across the state after the Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras became operational. The motor vehicle department also announced a reduction in the number of deaths due to accidents.

The minister for transport, Antony Raju, said that the number of deaths due to accidents per day reduced to 5-8 from June 5, down from 12 deaths per day. The number of violations was reduced to 79,525 on June 8 from 1,21,681 on June 6. 

The minister also informed that seat belts would be made mandatory for front-seat passengers in heavy vehicles as well. 

FILM PERSONALITIES LEAVE BJP

Two film personalities, director Rajasenan and senior actor Bheeman Raghu announced their decision to quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Both celebrities have announced their intention to join the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].