THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president K Surendran will depose before the officials investigating the Kodakara hawala heist case on Wednesday. He will appear at the Thrissur Police Club at 10.30am.Earlier, Surendran had received a notice to appear before the probe team for quizzing on July 6. However, he had informed the investigation team of his inconvenience citing party office-bearers’ meeting.
Speaking to reporters here at the state BJP committee office, Surendran maintained that he has no hesitation in deposing before the police in any case, including the Kodakara heist, as he doesn’t have anything to hide.Surendran also alleged that the pressure being mounted on P S Sarith, accused in the gold smuggling case, to reveal the names of him and other BJP leaders shows the misuse of the administrative machinery in the state.
He said the CPM leaders have been snatching away the welfare funds meant for the Scheduled Castes. “DYFI state committee member Prathil Krishna is involved in siphoning off SC welfare fund. He had influenced a youth working in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation as an SC promoter. Through him, Krishna got lakhs of rupees transferred to the bank accounts of him and his parents. Several CPM leaders have also become richer in other parts of state using this modus operandi,” he said.
Surendran also alleged that despite the authorities getting evidence against the DYFI leader, they have not bothered to take him into custody or question him.Reacting to Surendran’s allegations, SC and ST Welfare Minister K Radhakrishnan said necessary steps were taken as soon as the welfare fund misappropriation came to his notice. The issue was also brought to the notice before the chief minister and one person was already arrested and put in jail.“The LDF government will take action against the erring officials and people even if they are DYFI members. We are checking whether such incidents had happened in the past as well,” said Radhakrishnan. He said the matter was investigated months back by the department which found the charges baseless.