Intensifying protest against Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran over a controversial letter allegedly written by her, opposition members on Tuesday waved black flags and staged a protest in front of her house and office in the headquarters of the Left-ruled civic body here.
Rajendran has been facing heat from opposition Congress and BJP for the past two days after her purported letter regarding the temporary appointments of party cadres in the Corporation surfaced in the media.
The BJP councillors, who had met Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and apprised him of the ongoing controversy on Monday, staged a “lying down” protest in front of the Mayor’s office raising slogans.
While a group of councillors, including women lay down on the floor and shouted slogans against the Mayor, some senior representatives sat on chairs and protested.
They also tied a party flag in front of her office room as part of the agitation.
Rajendran was shown black flags by the activists of the KSU, the students’ union of the opposition Congress, while she was getting into her official vehicle from her house in nearby Mudavanmugal.
They were later taken into custody by the police.
Tense moments prevailed at the Corporation building when the Mayor arrived as opposition councillors were waiting at the main gate to block her and stage a protest.
However, the policemen escorted her inside the office through the side gate.
Intense sloganeering welcomed Rajendran since her car entered the campus.
Meanwhile, BJP district president R Sajith lodged a complaint with the City Police Commissioner seeking a probe into the controversy and bring out the truth.
The controversy erupted after a purported letter, written by Arya Rajendran addressing CPI (M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan asking the priority list of party cadres to appoint in temporary posts in the civic body, came out in the media on Saturday.
The young Mayor, however, had claimed that the letter appeared to be “edited” and that she suspects it to be politically motivated by those who have been campaigning against her and the party for some time.
She also brushed aside demands for her resignation by the opposition Congress and BJP by terming the same as a “joke”.
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