Calls grow for Kerala minister ouster as college fee row persists

The Congress yesterday demanded the resignation of Health Minister K K Shylaja over reports that private medical colleges in Kerala were charging capitation fees for admissions despite claims by the minister to the contrary.
“Although she had earlier claimed that this year none of the private medical colleges in the state were charging capitation fees for admission to MBBS courses, she has now admitted that maybe private managements are charging capitation fees,” Congress Kerala unit president V M Sudheeran told reporters.
“It is unfortunate that even the government is unsure and the minister is also changing her stance. She is not fit to be a minister and she has to quit,” he stressed.
Speaking in the assembly yesterday, Shylaja admitted the “likelihood” of private managements charging capitation fees. However, on Thursday she maintained that it was for the first time this year that no private medical colleges had charged capitation fees, following talks with the new government which allowed the managements to raise their annual fees.
For the fifth day in succession, the proceedings in the assembly ended soon after Question Hour with the Congress-led opposition continuing to protest both inside and outside the house.
“The government has cheated the students as not only are these managements collecting capitation fees, a raise in annual fees have also been permitted. I place on the table of the house audio evidence that shows capitation fees being sought by the private managements,” leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala said in the assembly.
The ongoing rates being collected as capitation fees by managements for a medical seat range from Rs2.5mn to Rs3.5mn, while the fees in the sector went up by a mere Rs47,000 during the five-year tenure of previous Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy. The current government has increased it by Rs65,000 since taking office in May this year.
Replying to opposition charges, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the house that all evidence that the opposition had, if passed on to the government, will be handed over to the vigilance department.
“We will ask the vigilance to probe this,” Vijayan said but maintained his position that they do not plan to bring down the fees, prompting opposition members to troop into the well of the House shouting slogans, forcing the Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan to wind up the day’s session.
In his speech, young Congress legislator V T Balram vehemently protested the style and functioning of Vijayan.
“Three of our legislators are on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the assembly for the past three days and while even veteran politician V S Achuthanandan and the speaker paid a courtesy visit to enquire about their condition, you are yet to call on them. You do not even show respect to basic democratic principles while even Prime Minister Narendra Modi was courteous in taking the opposition into confidence,” said Balram.
Yesterday also witnessed for the first time, the youth wing of the BJP  taking to the streets to protest the hike in fees and clashing with the police in front of the state secretariat.
With the rival factions sticking to their stands on the issue, normal functioning of the assembly appears difficult when the sitting resumes on Monday.