KALPETTA : The family of Congress leader N M Vijayan who committed suicide along with his son Jijesh on December 27 has accused the party of failing to personally reach out to them over the settlement of liabilities in Sultan Bathery Urban Co-operative Bank, despite public assurances from the leadership.
Padmaja, Vijayan’s daughter-in-law, alleged that the family came to know about the party’s assurance only through media reports. “I saw the KPCC president’s response only on Friday in the media. No leader has directly conveyed anything to us,” she said.
She said that the liability must be cleared by September 30. If not, the family plans to stage a hunger strike in front of the Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) office on October 2.
“Congress leaders still claim that this is the family’s liability. They refuse to acknowledge that N M Vijayan took these loans for the party. The agreement was imposed on us by Congress. No leader has contacted us directly, except through the media. Therefore, we have decided to proceed with the hunger strike,” Padmaja said.
The issue centres on debts left by Vijayan, who reportedly borrowed money to support party activities. The family insists that the party is morally bound to settle the dues, while Congress leaders maintain that there are legal and financial complexities involved.
Meanwhile on Friday, Congress state president Sunny Joseph said the party would honour its commitment. Speaking to the media, he said, “This is not a legal obligation but a moral responsibility. Even in financial hardship, Congress will stand by its people. We have given our word to that family and we will keep it.”