R Sreelekha’s ‘resignation’ message deleted, BJP says she will continue as civic body chief
The former DGP had reportedly informed ward residents that she had submitted her resignation to the Thiruvananthapuram mayor
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 4 (PTI) A day after a resignation letter purportedly submitted by former DGP R Sreelekha as a councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation came to light, the BJP leader on Sunday deleted a message informing residents of her ward through a WhatsApp group that she was stepping down.
The development came hours after BJP leaders visited Sreelekha at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where she is undergoing treatment for health issues.
BJP leaders on Sunday said Sreelekha had not resigned and would continue as the councillor.
The issue surfaced after a message purportedly posted by Sreelekha in a WhatsApp group of residents of her ward said she had submitted her resignation to Mayor V V Rajesh and would hand over a copy to the District Collector on October 5. Members of the group said the message was deleted around 6 pm on Sunday.
However, there had been no further messages from Sreelekha in the group, they said.
Sreelekha is yet to respond to the resignation issue.
Mayor Rajesh had earlier told reporters that he received the letter on September 30 but had not forwarded it to the Corporation Secretary, the competent authority to accept the resignation.
He had said the letter cited personal inconveniences as the reason for stepping down. However, on Sunday, Rajesh said no resignation letter existed.
"Who told you that she has given the resignation letter? She will continue, and I said it yesterday itself," he said.
Asked about the message allegedly posted by Sreelekha in the WhatsApp group, he did not respond directly.
"You want the governance to take place smoothly. As all desire, the governance will go forward strongly," he said, ruling out any crisis in the Corporation.
Rajesh said councillors regularly submitted letters seeking funds for their respective wards and raising operational issues.
"Such a letter was given to me for the smooth operations in the ward. As she is a ruling councillor, I find that some of the matters cited in it require the party's intervention. Some have to be done by the Mayor. We will address the matters as in letters given by other councillors," he said.
Rajesh said Sreelekha would continue as councillor and complete her five-year tenure.
BJP leader Suresh made a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon, sharing a picture of his visit to Sreelekha at the hospital and saying she was unwell and had only expressed concerns about her ability to discharge her responsibilities.
Suresh said Sreelekha had been suffering from physical discomfort for the past few days.
"She is worried about whether she will be able to discharge her responsibilities as a public representative properly because of her health condition. She had only brought this to the attention of those closest to her. Unfortunately, it became a subject of media discussion," he said.
"The news that R Sreelekha has resigned is not true," Suresh added.
He criticised media reports suggesting that Sreelekha might join another political party or was bargaining with the BJP for a post, saying such speculation was unbecoming.
Suresh dismissed reports that the BJP's control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation was under threat.
"Some have started daydreaming that the BJP's rule in the Corporation will collapse. They can keep dreaming. Thiruvananthapuram will be ruled by the BJP not just for five years but beyond that," he said.
Suresh said Sreelekha, the first woman IPS officer and DGP in Keralam, had consistently maintained her commitment to the party.
Describing her as a woman and a mother who was not a conventional politician, he said she had always fought against corruption and had no illicit assets.
Suresh expressed hope that Sreelekha would recover soon and continue serving the people.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar wished Sreelekha a speedy recovery in a Facebook post sharing her photograph.
CPI(M) leader and former minister V Sivankutty launched a scathing attack on Sreelekha, saying she could not be trusted.
"Nothing that Sreelekha says can be believed. Not only that, she will resort to any threat to secure position and power. This should only be viewed as a threat directed at the BJP to gain new positions," he said.
Responding to a reporter's question on whether Sreelekha was putting pressure on the BJP to move to the Congress, Sivankutty said some leaders would naturally move to places where they received greater benefits.
"Naturally, some go where there is greater benefit. They will move to wherever they get the maximum advantage," he said.
Sreelekha is yet to respond to the resignation issue or the allegations raised by the Opposition.
The BJP came to power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the first time last year, securing the support of 51 councillors, including an Independent, in the 101-member civic body.
Sreelekha won the election on a BJP ticket from the Sasthamangalam ward in last year's local body elections.
Her continuation as a BJP councillor is crucial for the party, which has only a narrow majority in the Corporation with the support of an Independent councillor.
She is currently the state vice president of the BJP.
Sreelekha contested the Assembly election from Vattiyoorkavu in April but lost to Congress leader K Muraleedharan. PTI