BJP rule in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation a disgrace, says Congress
Synopsis
Congress's KPCC chief Sunny Joseph didn't just attack the BJP — he laid out a case: a councillor booked under KAAPA being defended, two women UDF members hospitalised after council violence, and 640 agenda items rubber-stamped in five minutes after a 46-day gap. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has become a flashpoint for Kerala's fractured civic politics.
Key Takeaways
KPCC president Sunny Joseph on 30 June accused the BJP -led Thiruvananthapuram Corporation of presiding over violence and civic neglect.
UDF Parliamentary Party leader K.S.
Sabarinadhan was allegedly physically assaulted at the Corporation Council meeting on Monday .
Women councillors S.
Sherly and Anita Alex were reportedly injured in the violence and are undergoing hospital treatment.
The Corporation Council allegedly passed 640 agenda items in five minutes at its first meeting after a 46-day gap.
Joseph alleged a BJP councillor booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) was being shielded by the party.
Joseph demanded stringent police action and accused the BJP and CPI(M) of jointly neglecting residents amid the monsoon crisis.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph on Tuesday, 30 June launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led administration of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, alleging that repeated violence and disorder in the civic body had become a disgrace to Kerala. Joseph, who also serves as the State Electricity Minister, said the Corporation's functioning had deteriorated sharply since the BJP assumed leadership of the civic body.
Violence at the Corporation Council Meeting
Joseph alleged that United Democratic Front (UDF) Parliamentary Party leader K.S. Sabarinadhan was physically assaulted during the Corporation Council meeting held on Monday. He further alleged that a BJP councillor made derogatory remarks about Sabarinadhan's late father, veteran Congress leader G. Karthikeyan.
UDF women councillors S. Sherly and Anita Alex were also reportedly attacked during the violence and sustained injuries. Both were undergoing hospital treatment at the time of the statement, according to Joseph.
What the Congress Alleged
'The councillors of the CPI(M) and the BJP behaved like street hooligans,' Joseph alleged, demanding that police initiate stringent legal action against those responsible. He accused both the BJP and the Left of jointly neglecting the civic issues affecting residents of the state capital.
Joseph also alleged that the BJP had lowered its standards by defending one of its own councillors who had been booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) and implicated in several criminal cases.
640 Agenda Items in Five Minutes
Pointing to what he described as gross irresponsibility, Joseph alleged that the Corporation Council passed as many as 640 agenda items in just five minutes during its first meeting on Monday — a session held after a gap of 46 days. He said this reflected the administration's cavalier attitude toward governance.
Monsoon Crisis and Civic Neglect
With the onset of the monsoon, Joseph said, Thiruvananthapuram was grappling with a rise in waterborne diseases, waterlogging, and rain-related disruptions, while thousands of residents were struggling to meet basic daily needs. He alleged that instead of addressing these pressing civic concerns, the administration remained consumed by factional conflict.
'The people are now witnessing the true face of the BJP after it assumed leadership of the Corporation,' Joseph said. This comes amid broader scrutiny of urban local body governance in Kerala ahead of the next civic election cycle.
Point of View
With the BJP, CPI(M), and Congress each using it to score points rather than govern. The allegation that 640 agenda items were cleared in five minutes after a 46-day recess is the kind of procedural failure that rarely gets the attention it deserves — it speaks to institutional dysfunction that transcends party blame. Joseph's dual role as KPCC chief and State Electricity Minister also raises a question mainstream coverage tends to skip: is this critique driven by civic concern, or is it calibrated electoral positioning ahead of the next local body polls? The violence against women councillors, if verified, is the most serious element here and deserves independent investigation rather than being subsumed into political point-scoring.
NationPress
30 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Council meeting?
Violence broke out at the Corporation Council meeting on Monday, with KPCC president Sunny Joseph alleging that UDF Parliamentary Party leader K.S. Sabarinadhan was physically assaulted and that women councillors S. Sherly and Anita Alex sustained injuries. Both women were reportedly hospitalised following the incident.
Why is Congress attacking the BJP over Thiruvananthapuram Corporation?
Congress, through KPCC president Sunny Joseph, alleges that the BJP-led administration has worsened governance at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, citing council violence, defence of a councillor booked under KAAPA, and the rubber-stamping of 640 agenda items in five minutes after a 46-day gap.
What is the KAAPA case linked to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation?
Joseph alleged that the BJP was defending one of its councillors who had been booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) and implicated in multiple criminal cases. He said this reflected a lowering of standards by the party.
What civic issues is Thiruvananthapuram facing amid the monsoon?
Joseph said the city was experiencing a rise in waterborne diseases, waterlogging, and rain-related disruptions since the onset of the monsoon, with thousands of residents struggling to meet basic needs. He alleged the Corporation had failed to address these issues.
What action has Congress demanded over the Corporation violence?
KPCC president Sunny Joseph demanded that police initiate stringent legal action against all those responsible for the violence at the Corporation Council meeting, including councillors from both the BJP and the CPI(M).
