Rumblings over the medical college bribery scam that has left the BJP State unit in the lurch may not subside soon.
The party core committee that met here on Saturday is reported to have reached a broad understanding to take action against A.M. Nazeer, a member of the commission that probed the graft charge, as a major face-saving solution.
Party sources told The Hindu that this move is being considered as a bid to place the onus on one or two persons so that the entire leadership could escape the blame unscathed. Such moves may lead to more convulsions among the second-line leaders as well as the rank and file, sources said.
While the State leadership is making a vain bid to hush up the issue by describing it as an ‘individualistic crime’ that has not had any bearing on the organisation, the national leadership is reported to be deeply perturbed over the commission’s findings on various issues, including hawala transactions and also the graft involving leaders that have left a deep scar on the party image at the national level.
Even the expulsion of a second-rung leader like its cooperation cell convener R.S. Vinod has raised too many questions. Post-demonetisation of high-value currency, the BJP leadership and the Centre had described the cooperative banks in the State as the hub of illegal financial transactions and warned of bringing them under the RBI scanner.
Now, the cooperation cell convener himself has landed up in a row involving hawala transactions and that has left the party in a quandary. Mr. Vinod, who had been expelled from the party earlier too, had become active since Kummanam Rajasekharan took over as president.
The Centre does not seem to be satisfied by such deeds and is reported to be gearing up for a total shake-up, sparing Mr. Rajasekharan. But it would be done in a phased manner so that the move would not be construed as a fallout of the current developments.
The national leadership is also reported to be concerned over the growing schism that is eroding the foundation of the party organisation. It is learnt to be gearing up for a drastic action to bring the entire machinery under its control. But rebuilding the party image in the current context would be a tall challenge, sources said.
