KALPETTA: The Wayanad unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Tuesday recorded the statements of Vijesh, the elder son of deceased Congress leader N M Vijayan, in the Sultan Bathery Urban Cooperative Bank bribery case. Vijesh gave the statement in person at the VACB office in Meenangadi.
Vijayan and his younger son died after consuming poison on December 27. On Monday, 10 days after Vijayan’s death, Vijesh handed over new evidence like letters and a suicide note to the police. The VACB launched a probe into the bribery allegations against the managements of the Sultan Bathery bank and other Congress-ruled cooperative banks as well as into Vijayan’s financial dealings based on the letters.
Meanwhile, Vijayan’s relatives accused Congress leaders of spreading propaganda against the family. Vijesh said Congress leaders had spread news that his father ended his life over some family issue. He also alleged that Vijayan became a debtor for the party.
“We went to meet Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan as per my father’s instructions in the letters. However, Satheesan did not speak the way a party leader should,” he said.
Vijesh said Congress leaders did not call the family to express condolences despite his father working for the party for so long. “I do not expect justice from Congress leaders. I C Balakrishnan (MLA) and D P Rajasekharan, the president of Sultan Bathery bank tried to divert the probe. There was propaganda against our family. My father turned a debtor for the party, but none was willing to help him later,” he alleged.
As per the family, letters were submitted to Satheesan and KPCC president K Sudhakaran. Satheesan later confirmed to media that he had received the letter, but added that it lacked clarity and that it referred to people, not the party.
The family alleged that Balakrishnan and N D Appachan, another Congress leader, were also informed about the letters, but changed their tune when they learnt their names were mentioned in them.
The letters mention the names of Balakrishnan, Appachan and other Congress leaders and their involvement in bribery incidents in Congress-ruling cooperative banks. Some revelations include details about Rs 32 lakh spent on elections and other expenses of the Sultan Bathery bank in 2014.
The preliminary probe by the police revealed Vijayan owed Rs 1.15 crore to banks, of which Rs 1.03 crore was owed to the Sultan Bathery bank alone. It is learnt that he took loans to repay the bribes for appointment at the bank and meet the expenses of various party activities on Balakrishnan’s instructions.