KOCHI: By allowing gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh to use its office premises to launch a tirade against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family members, the Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) has courted controversy. Though the leaders of the organisation insist that it is an apolitical social service organisation working for the welfare of tribal community and women, it is still under clouds of confusion.
The project director of the organisation, Biju Krishnan, is a former leader of BDJS, an ally of the BJP in Kerala. A former secretary of Thodupuzha union of the SNDP Yogam, he had contested the parliament election from Idukki as a candidate of the NDA in 2019. However, he later quit the BDJS and does not hold any position in the SNDP Yogam now. Swami Antma Nambi is the president of the organisation and K G Venugopal, a former pracharak of the RSS, is its vice-president.
Aji Krishnan, the honorary secretary of the organisation, is working in Dubai. “We have been involved in social service in the country for the past 27 years and we have no political affiliation. We have people with various political affiliations but that does not influence our activities. We have been implementing various projects for women empowerment and tribal welfare in Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki. The allegations are politically motivated and we don’t want to react to it,” said Joy Mathew, chief project coordinator of the organisation. According to him, a senior journalist, now settled in Dubai, had requested to provide a job to Swapna after she was released from jail.
“Swapna was in deep crisis as her accounts were frozen by the government and she had no income to raise her kids. We asked her to send her profile and after obtaining approval from the board we appointed her as the director in charge of CSR funding and women empowerment. Sarith has been appointed as PRO of the organisation. They haven’t acquired huge amount of wealth, though they were accused of gold smuggling. The government has absolved Sivasankar, an IAS officer, of all charges and reinstated him in service. Then why should we deny livelihood to these people,” asked Joy Mathew.
Asked about the propriety of allowing Swapna to use the office premises to hold a press meet against the CM and also allowing her to use the office car for her personal use, he said the organisation does not want to interfere in her personal issues.“She met the media on the portico of the HRDS as mediapersons came here to meet her. She will face the case against her and we do not subscribe to her views,” said Joy Mathew.
However, DYFI leader K S Arun Kumar said the HRDS has been involved in implementing various projects for the RSS.“They have been implementing housing projects for the RSS in Wayanad and high range areas,” he said.BJP spokesperson Sandeep G Warrier, however, said that BJP or RSS has no association with HRDS. “I have spent more than a decade of my political life in Palakkad but have never come to know about this organisation,” he said.