As noose is tightening around the BJP leaders in Kerala over the waylaying and heist of Rs 3.5 crore meant for election expenses during the Legislative Assembly poll , many prominent figures in the State who joined the saffron outfit are thinking seriously of quitting the party. This is the first time in Kerala’s political history leaders in the rank of organizational secretary and State secretary were subjected to police interrogation.
In the run up to the assembly election, many eminent persons like Dr Jacob Thomas, former director general of police, actors Krishnakumar and Devan and metroman E Sreedharan had joined the BJP. The recent developments have put a shadow on the possibilities of them continuing in the party. The vernacular media is full of news about how the leadership swindled Rs 244 crore meant for election expenses.
On Wednesday, K K Anish Kumar, the party candidate for Kunnnamkulam assembly constituency was summoned by the investigation team of the Kerala Police and interrogated for two hours in connection with the incident. Anish Kumar, who heads the Thrissur district unit of the party, reportedly told the investigators that BJP has nothing to do with the money.
But the police team remains unconvinced with the replies given by Kumar. “If the money does not belong to the BJP, why did Ranjith and Deepak who were accused in the waylaying of the money were summoned by Kumar to the district office?,” said the police officer in charge of the investigation. The investigators are likely to seize the CCTV visuals from the BJP district office.
Persons who were involved in the heist case had been summoned to Thrissur by the district party leaders and their accommodation was arranged by the BJP office. This has been disclosed by the hotel management themselves. The State leadership of the party was put on the defensive on Wednesday by Praseetha, treasurer of a political outfit led by C K Janu , a tribal leader.
Praseetha told the media that K Surendran, the BJP state chief paid Rs 10 lakh to Janu to join the NDA in Kerala. “Though Janu had demanded Rs 10 crore, the deal was settled for Rs 10 lakh and that was how she joined the election rally addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Thiruvananthapuram days before the campaign came to a close,” said Praseetha. Recording of a telephonic conversation between Praseetha and Surendran has gone viral in the social media.
Sreejit Panickar, popular political commentator who is also a cyber security expert, expressed his dismay over the silence of the BJP leadership towards the money heist and the party’s links with the persons who have been arrested.