Oppn stages walkout over Nedumbassery airport quota row

Oppn stages walkout over Nedumbassery airport quota row
UNITED NEWS OF INDIA

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB 23: The Congress-led Opposition in the Kerala Assembly on Wednesday staged a walk out in protest against the ``insensitivity'' of the government towards the hunger strike by Dalit organisations demanding 20 per cent reservation for SCs and STs in the appointments made to the Nedumbasserry airport at Kochi.

The walkout came when Speaker M Vijayakumar disallowed an adjournment motion sought to be moved by Dominic presentation (Cong) on the situation arising out of the agitation by Dalit organisations at Nedumbasserry.

Opposing the admissibility of the motion, Chief Minister E K Nayanar said the policy of the government was that reservation norms for SC and ST should be observed in the recruitment by the Nedumbasserry airport.

Nayanar said he himself had clarified on the floor of the House on February 21 that the appointments made so far would be reviewed and proportionate placements would be given to SCs and STs. But still, Congress MLA M A Kuttappan, who started a fast before the Nedumbasserry airport on February 17, went ahead with the agitation till he was removed by the police last night.

After the Opposition, led by Leader of Opposition A K Antony, walked out of the House, Nayanar said he had just received relevant data with regard to the community-wise representation in the jobs at Nedumbasserry. Accordingly, out of the 302 employees at the airport, 42 were from SCs and STs, constituting more than 10 per cent of the total recruitment so far.

Earlier, Antony came down heavily on the government for viewing the agitation by 27 Dalit organisations at Nedumbassery very lightly.

Not even a single minister nor any responsible person from the government had visited the agitation venue despite the fact that an MLA was on an indefinite fast. The government's approach to the issue was totally ``insensitive'' to the situation developing at Nedumbasserry, he said.