THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major setback to the BJP ahead of local-body elections, senior leader MS Kumar, in an emotional Facebook post on Saturday, accused party functionaries of failing to repay loans taken from a cooperative society he is associated with, pushing it to the brink of collapse.
Kumar also referred to the suicide of Thirumala councillor K Anil Kumar, linking it to the crisis in the cooperative sector.
“Around 70% of those who took loans from our society are from my own party, and nearly 90% of defaulters are party activists -- ranging from ordinary workers to state-level leaders,” he wrote. Kumar was among the earliest BJP councillors in Thiruvanathapuram Corporation.
He said the deepening crisis in the cooperative sector and the lack of accountability among borrowers had taken a severe toll, even driving Anil to commit suicide. “The state is already in election mode for the local-body polls, but in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, the main topic of discussion will likely be the suicide of councillor Anil and the circumstances that led to it,” Kumar wrote.
Calling Anil “a young man deeply committed to clean politics,” Kumar said he was forced to end his life due to the mental stress caused by the ongoing financial turmoil. “Perhaps it was this despair that drove poor Anil to take such an extreme step, forgetting even his own children,” he added.
The BJP leader alleged that vested interests had spread false and exaggerated reports about the Thiruvithamcore Cooperative Society, prompting depositors to withdraw funds and borrowers to stop repayments. Kumar said the situation worsened when those he expected to stand by him turned away.
Kumar said he had decided to publicly reveal the names of all loan defaulters, including the amounts they owe, in his next FB post. “In my entire life, I have never engaged in any corruption. Yet today, for the mistake of helping these people, I’ve become unwanted and disliked,” he said.
Kumar also took aim at what he described as political hypocrisy, remarking that “those who take loans and disappear are celebrated as ‘honourable leaders’ and ‘public figures.’”
His strongly worded post has triggered widespread discussions within political circles, with many viewing it as a sign of internal rifts within the BJP’s Kerala unit.