BJP leader conspired to defeat E Sreedharan? Fresh claim amid black money row

 BJP Kerala unit president K. Surendran is waging a lone battle to defend the party after it was accused of smuggling in black money through the hawala route.

The incident, which came to light after the Kodakara Highway hawala loot, has split the party’s top leadership, with leaders Kummanam Rajasekharan, P.K. Krishnadas, M.T. Ramesh, Sobha Surendran and A.N. Radhakrishnan remaining silent.

The robbery case also triggered a blame game within the party, which even resulted in a clash between two sections of workers in Thrissur.

The incident came as a major embarrassment to the BJP, since the Narendra Modi government had demonetised all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi series in November 2016, claiming it would eradicate black money.

A section of the leaders opined that a group’s clandestine moves caused the embarrassment, besides landing the party in a crisis.

The leaders themselves have been apprehensive of being arraigned as accused in the black money case. Adding to the embarrassment, a fresh allegation was made on Wednesday that the party had paid C.K. Janu of Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party, a BJP ally, Rs 10 lakh to make her contest the polls as an NDA candidate.

It has been alleged that the state unit failed in allotting funds to all Assembly segments from the ‘crores of rupees’ the Central leadership had pumped into Kerala. The money was meant for the party’s poll campaign. It was also alleged that the money had not reached candidates who did not owe allegiance to party chief Surendran.

Additionally, it was alleged that insignificant candidates were fielded in 'A class' Assembly segments to help some leaders swindle the poll fund. Leaders expressed surprise over national leaders, who had camped in Kerala, being unaware of the irregularities. Incidentally, the secret moves by a few leaders have left RSS functionaries, who coordinated the poll campaign, too, in a spot.

BJP leader struck deal to defeat E. Sreedharan

A complaint has been made to the BJP central leadership that a section of party men in Kerala worked for the defeat of former technocrat E. Sreedharan in Palakkad.

Sreedharan was made a candidate at the behest of the central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The complaint pointed out that the BJP had ensured it was 7,322 votes ahead of the polls in Palakkad, where the party, for the first time, came second with 40,074 votes in 2016. Combined with the ‘sure votes’, other votes that Sreedharan’s personality, too, could win, would have taken the count to 60,000, the party believed. Still the party could win only 50,052 votes.

The complaint accused a senior leader of striking a secret deal with the rival candidate, which eroded BJP votes in Palakkad.

(This article was first published in onmanorama)