The no-trust motion moved by the United Democratic Front (UDF) against the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-ruled Thrissur Corporation failed on Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not turn up for voting.
In the 55-member Corporation council, the LDF does not have an absolute majority. The LDF has 25 councillors, including Mayor M.K. Varghese, who is a Congress rebel. The UDF has 24 members while the BJP has six.
The Opposition moved the no-trust motion against the Mayor and Deputy Mayor Rajasree Gopan alleging corruption in various projects of the Corporation, including the new master plan. They alleged that the new master plan was meant for helping the land lobby.
The BJP stated its stance in the morning itself. “There is no change in the declared stand of the BJP that there will not be any tie-up, either direct or indirect, with the LDF or the UDF,” said BJP district president K.K. Aneeshkumar in a statement. The decision was taken after discussion with the State leadership and at the parliamentary party meeting.
“Bringing or pulling down the LDF or the UDF into power or pulling them down is not the programme of the BJP. The party will continue fighting against the wrong policies of both the fronts. The BJP will not support anybody for destabilising governance. However, this democratic decency was not maintained by the LDF or the UDF in Thiruvilwamala recently, where they joined hands against the BJP,” he said.
The secret tie-up between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) {CPI(M)} and the BJP has been exposed with the voting, said Leader of the Opposition Rajan Pallan, while presenting the no-trust motion in the council.
“The corporation rule by the LDF has been marred by corruption,” he said. He alleged that the BJP agreed to keep out of voting after an agreement with the CPI(M) to settle cases, including the Kodakara hawala case.
Opposition councillor John Daniel too alleged an unholy nexus between the CPI(M) and the BJP.
