DIC(K) lashes out at withdrawal of Ordinance

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 3 (UNI) The Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) today claimed the withdrawal of the Kerala Local Authorities Ordinance would only help defectors and added the Left Democratic Front had taken the move to help local bodies run by it.

DIC (K) president K Muraleedharan told reporters his party, which had an understanding with the CPI (M) for the civic elections, had decided to withdraw support to the LDF in the local bodies.

Afraid of losing some of the local bodies, the LDF withdrew the ordinance, he claimed.

Some of the local CPI(M) leaders had already started wooing the DIC(K) members by making false promises and saying they would not have any problem even if they defy the party whip as the Ordinance had been withdrawn, he alleged.

The previous United Democratic Front (UDF) Government had brought in the Ordinance to check defection. Under it, a member elected as the candidate of a political party or coalition will invite disqualification if he/she resigned from the party or coalition or defied the party whip during a vote.

On the professional colleges bill, he asked the government to call an all party meeting to sort out the differences.

''The bill provides only 18 per cent in the merit quota, which means they have deviated from their policy of providing education to the deserving students,'' he said.

Mr Muraleedharan said by allotting a certain percentage of the seats for the management, the government had only paved the way for creating a situation where students could be admitted depending on the donations made by them.

Moreover, the government had also fixed huge fees for students who get admission under the NRI quotas, he said and added all non-resident Keralaities were not that rich.

UNI PN GM PA HT1717