As just one day remained for the conclusion of the 13-day all-Kerala march led by Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of SNDP Yogam, outfit of Hindu lower caste Ezhavas who constitute 21 per cent of the State’s population, and for the declaration of a party of the majorities, Opposition leader and nonagenarian Marxist VS Achuthanandan on Friday approached the judiciary seeking a Vigilance probe against him over the alleged fraud in a microfinance scheme controlled by the Yogam.
Achuthanandan, who filed a petition before the Vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram by appearing in person on Friday, told newsmen outside the court that a fraud of Rs5,015 crore had been committed in connection with the microfinance scheme under the leadership of the Yogam general secretary. The court which admitted Achuthanandan’s plea will take it up on January 6.
Observers pointed out that the very fact that the petition was filed on the eve of the culmination of Vellappally’s Kerala march revealed the political motive behind it. Vellappally has been facing allegations leveled by the CPI(M) and the Congress ever since he seemingly began getting closer to the BJP and started airing a plan to unify majority communities in the State.
The Kerala Police had on Monday registered a case against him for indulging in ‘hate speech’ under Section 153 (A) of the IPC over his remark against what he described as discrimination the State Government was showing towards the majority communities in distributing relief assistance to victims of accidents and other tragedies.
The Samathwa Munnetta Yatra (Equality Movement March), an all-Kerala march being held by different majority community organisations of Kerala and led by the SNDP Yogam chief, is to conclude at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday evening. The Yatra had started at Kasaragod on November 23.
On Friday, Vellappally Natesan reiterated that a new party of the majority communities could be declared at the end of the Yatra on Saturday evening. He said a decision on the details of this party would be taken at a meeting to be held on Saturday morning. Vellappally said that he had not held talks with any BJP leader about the formation of the proposed party.
In the petition, Achuthanandan alleged that huge amounts of money were taken as loans by the operators of the Yogam’s microfinance scheme, controlled by Vellappally, from the Government’s Backward Classes Development Corporation and nationalised banks at five and four per cent interest respectively and distributed at 15 to 18 per cent interest to the beneficiaries.