Privilege seat issue: Opposition stages walkout

Opposition LDF members staged a walkout in the forenoon session of the Assembly, after an adjournment motion moved by former Education Minister M A Baby raising issues arising out of the agreement reached between the government and self-financing medical college managements was disallowed.

Baby lashed out at the agreement stating that the government had totally surrendered to the diktats of the private managements by signing the agreement allowing 15 percent privilege seats, ignoring merit and reservation norms.

He said that while those who had studied in the self-financing medical colleges during LDF Government’s tenure, barring those controlled by the Inter-Church Council for Education, had to pay only government fees, under the new agreement the fee payable per annum by students of 11 private medical colleges will be a hefty Rs 3.75 lakh even if they gained admission on grounds of merit.

Baby charged that a situation has been created by the present government to fleece the students and also put weaker sections like SC/STs in great difficulty.

Health Minister V S Sivakumar maintained that the agreement was arrived at after ensuring the interests of  all category of students. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also joined the counter-offensive and claimed that the government had in fact brought down the quota of privilege seats from 20 to 15 percent.

He alleged that college management representatives had told him that there was foul play in the conduct of  exams while the LDF was in power.

‘’What we have attempted is to bring transparency,’’ he said.  Unsatisfied with the reply, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan led the walkout.

Later, addressing mediapersons, M A Baby reiterated his stance on the privilege quota and other aspects of the agreement inked by the UDF Government and also challenged to order a judicial probe into various allegations levelled by the Chief Minister against the agreements during the tenure of the LDF Government.