BJP leaders race to contain damage from `expose’ on Kodakara hawala case

Buffeted by the new revelations about the involvement of the BJP top brass in the Kodakara hawala case, party leaders on Saturday scrambled to wash their hands off the damning issue.

Asserting that his hands were clean, party State president K.Surendran said he would end public life if his involvement was proved. Claiming that the CPI(M) was behind the allegations raised by former BJP office secretary Thirur Satheesh, he said the Left party had lured Mr.Satheesh by promising to avert the attachment proceedings initiated by the Kerala Bank for non repayment of loan.

Mr.Satheesh’s disclosure that the ₹6 crore of “black money” stolen from a car at Kodakara in Thrissur in the run-up to the 2021 Assembly election was part of a significant tranche of secret electioneering funds for the BJP has wrongfooted the party ahead of the critical byelections to the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and the Palakkad and Chelakara Assembly seats.

The State government on Friday decided to re-investigate the Kodakara hawala case in the light of the latest expose by Mr.Satheesh.

Mr.Surendran told the media in Kalpetta that he was ready to face any investigation. He said the inroads made by the BJP in Kerala had triggered the concocted narratives against the party leadership.

“The byelections will result in a major setback for the CPI(M) and the Congress and the rival political coalitions led by the parties will face a threat from within. It is this threat perception that has triggered the allegations against the BJP”, he said.

Senior BJP leader Sobha Surendran refuted allegations linking her to Thirur Satheesh. She accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) leader E.P.Jayarajan of raising baseless allegations to wreck her political career. She demanded an investigation to unearth how Mr.Satheesh had mobilised the amount to repay his loan when the Kerala Bank had initiated attachment proceedings against him.

She added that CPI(M) and Congress were cooking up stories against the BJP following Suresh Gopi’s win from Thrissur.

Published - November 02, 2024 08:39 pm IST