THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With curtains down on Law Academy protest, the BJP and KPCC leaderships claimed victory. The BJP claimed the upper hand as its leader V. Muraleedharan started the hunger strike first, and Congress MLA K. Muraleedharan joined only after a week. Both parties said protests will continue on the controversial land deal, the alleged casteist slur against the SC student and the qualifications of ousted principal Lakshmi Nair.
KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran was keen to see that the striking students see to it that they get resignation of principal in writing. He wanted to ensure Aruvikkara MLA K.S. Sabarinadhan take over the protest from Cong-ress MLA Muraleedharan. However, when signs of the 29 day protest coming to an end surfaced, Muraleedharan maintained that he will continue. “On the basis of revenue officials’ report, action should be taken against the college management for using the land for non-educational purposes, Mr Sudheeran said.
Mr Muraleedharan has been admitted at the deluxe payward at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. BJP state secretary V. V. Rajesh who was on an indefinite fast has stopped his protest and has since been admitted at KIMS hospital. BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan told reporters in New Delhi that the BJP will continue its agitation against the college management for retrieving the revenue land, making the casteist slur against a SC student and also on checking the veracity of educational qualifications of Lakshmi Nair. Former BJP state president V. Muraleedharan who sat on a fast in front of the college in the initial stages of the protest said it was a big blow to the government to agree to the demands of the protesting students.
“What we saw in the last 29 days is the desperation of the LDF government to support the college student. It is the victory of the protesting students who showed their unity for a common cause. Despite the SFI deciding the leave the protest midway, the remaining student organisations saw to it that their protest sees the desired results,” said Muraleedharan. Both Congress and BJP leaderships will take stock of the situation in the coming days against the pending complaints remaining against the college management.
