KOCHI: Stung by the controversy over the Kodakara black money heist case, that spells trouble for the Kerala BJP leadership, the national leadership of the party has deputed a three-member panel to conduct an independent inquiry into the election fund scam. Retired civil servant C V Ananda Bose, former DGP Jacob Thomas and Metroman E Sreedharan, all known for their integrity and independent views are the panel members handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to probe into the allegations regarding the handling of party fund.
While C V Ananda Bose said he has already filed a report, Jacob Thomas said he is looking into the allegations. “The Prime Minister has given me a task and as a responsible citizen, I will complete the job with dedication. The people involved in the transaction operate a parallel network and I don’t think they have any political leanings,” he said. Meanwhile, the national leadership has received complaints against the ‘autocratic ways’ of Union minister of state V Muraleedharan and state president K Surendran.
There are complaints against national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh also. Though the state leaders had claimed that the party would win 35 seats, they failed to retain even the lone existing seat Nemom. This has happened despite overwhelming support from the national leadership. There is an overwhelming demand among the rank and file of the party for steps to end the faction feud that led to the poll debacle.
The investigation team probing the Kodakara black money heist is planning to interrogate two prominent leaders of the RSS and BJP in the coming days. Sources said Dharmarajan, the complainant in the robbery case, had contacted many BJP leaders immediately after the incident. Meanwhile, the investigation team has found that Dharmarajan had been involved in smuggling of spirit and there are two cases pending against him at Panniyankara in Kozhikode district and Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad district.
Meanwhile BJP state vice-president A N Radhakrishnan alleged that the investigation in Kodakara black money case was lopsided and the government was using the police to malign the BJP. Addressing mediapersons, Radhakrishnan said the party will launch a statewide agitation against the attempts to defame the party.
“The government is using officers with left leanings to intimidate the BJP. If the allegations are against the election funding, leaders including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should reveal the amount they have spent on campaigning. “The police are not revealing the details regarding the accused involved in the highway robbery and their political links. Martin, an accused in the case, is an AIYF leader,” he said. Party spokesperson B Gopalakrishnan and Thrissur district president K K Aneesh Kumar were present at the press meet.