THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The final day of the fourth session of the 13th Kerala Assembly ended in uproar with the Opposition boycotting the proceedings over the alleged police assault on Koyilandy MLA K Dasan.The Vote on Account and the Kerala Appropriation Bill were passed in the absence of the Opposition and the Assembly adjourned sine die.Earlier, the Opposition staged a walk-out over the self-financing colleges issue alleging that the UDF scuttled merit and reservation in reaching agreements with the college managements. Had things gone as originally planned, Friday’s sitting would have extended up to 7 p.m. for winding up legislative business. However, it was decided to drop the submissions, hasten proceedings and wound up by 12.30 p.m.Walk-out over self-financing colleges issueM A Baby of the CPM, who moved the motion for adjournment, accused the UDF Government of subverting merit and reservations in reaching agreements with the medical college managements under the Inter-Church Council and the Catholic engineering college managements. As per the agreement with the medical college managements, the managements will earmark 50 percent seats in government quota, but there would be a uniform fees across the board of Rs 3.75 lakh per year. Each college will set up a scholarship fund of Rs 40 lakh to finance BPL category and low-income group students. Similarly, under the agreement reached with the engineering college managements, the 50:50 quota has been approved, but there would be a uniform fees of Rs 75,000 per year. Each college will set up a scholarship fund of Rs 3 lakh for BPL category and low-income group students. According to Baby, only two groups have been subsidised, merit will be ignored and the government will have to cough up a huge amount paying the fees of students from SC/ST communities. Baby also wanted the UDF to make it clear whether the agreement with the Christian college managements was a show of gratitude for the Piravom victory. Chandy accused Baby of muddying up self-financing colleges issue and countered that the LDF could not provide admission to even a single student from the SC/ST community in private colleges from 2007 to the end of the Left tenure. He also told the Assembly that the UDF intended to sort out the vexatious issue once and for all within a year.The boycottAfter the Opposition re-entered the Assembly, they raised the issue of the alleged police assault on K Dasan. They alleged that the government was trying to shift the blame to the MLA. The Chief Minister said there were contradictions in the complaint filed by Dasan in the police station and the statement he made in the Assembly.Enraged, the Opposition boycotted the proceedings.Afterwards, Finance Minister K M Mani introduced the Kerala Finance Bill, 2012, in the House. The final supplementary grants for the budget 2011-2012 also were passed.
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