The Hindu : Kerala News : CPI(M) workers lay siege to panchayat office

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Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
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CPI(M) workers lay siege to panchayat office

Staff Reporter

Local body bans textbook in schools under its jurisdiction

Will not budge: CPI(M) area secretary V.P. Zacharia inaugurating a dharna staged by the party workers in front of the Valanchery panchayat office in Malappuram on Monday.

MALAPPURAM: Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists laid siege to Valanchery grama panchayat office in the district on Monday in protest against the panchayat council’s move to proscribe the controversial Class VII textbook at schools within its jurisdiction.

Tension prevailed on the panchayat office premises as the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) supporters came close to blows.

Resolution passed

The UDF members of the panchayat council, however, managed to pass the resolution directing all the schools within the panchayat not to teach the controversial textbook.

The CPI(M) described it as undemocratic and has decided to challenge it at higher level.

The CPI(M) siege started on Monday morning sensing that the UDF would move a resolution for textbook withdrawal without including it on the agenda.

The siege lasted from 8 a.m. to 11.50 a.m. CPI(M) area secretary V.P. Zacharia inaugurated the siege.

Party local committee secretary V.P.M. Salih presided over the function. Area committee secretariat member K.R. Sukumaran addressed the gathering. P. Prabhakaran welcomed the gathering.

Clash averted

The UDF members and supporters came in a procession towards the CPI(M) protestors, but the police prevented a clash by pushing them away. The picketers were soon removed by the police and the council began business around 12 noon. Soon after the council met, the Opposition members of the CPI(M) raised in protest, leading to noisy scenes in the council hall.

Arrested

The police arrested and removed the nine Opposition members from the council hall, and the UDF members passed the resolution unilaterally. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) member Abdul Basheer moved the resolution asking the schools to withdraw the controversial textbook.

The Opposition has complained to the panchayat secretary, pointing out that the panchayat council did not have any authority to proscribe a textbook from the curriculum. Opposition members later staged a demonstration in protest against the panchayat council’s move to ban the textbook.

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