The allegations of corrupt practices raised against BJP State president K. Surendran has taken a new turn with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) seeking a police report on the accusations.
Teeka Ram Meena, the Kerala CEO, called for a detailed report from the State Police Chief (SPC) on the allegations raised against Mr. Surendran. The CEO sought a factual report on a complaint filed by Saleem Madavoor, the national president of the Loktantrik Yuva Janata Dal.
Mr. Madavoor wanted a probe into the alleged instances of people carrying huge bags from the helicopter used by Mr. Surendran for electioneering to his car. The bags contained black money, which he transported to various destinations by giving the police and the Election Commission the slip, he said.
The complaints that Mr. Surendran had paid ₹10 lakh to Adivasi leader C.K. Janu to contest from Sulthan Bathery, BJP workers bribing Mr. Surendran’s namesake and BSP leader K. Sundara not to contest from Manjeswaram were brought to the notice of the CEO.
The complainant stated that the ₹3.5 crore, which was robbed from Dharmarajan, an active RSS worker at Kodagara, was meant to be distributed in a constituency overriding the Election Commission’s directions on spending money for election expenses. Mr. Dharmarajan had also visited the election committee office of Suresh Gopi, MP, the BJP candidate in Thrissur, he said.
He alleged that the BJP State leadership distributed around ₹400 crore black money in Kerala during the recently Assembly election. A copy of the complaint had also been forwarded to the SPC.
Mr. Meena told The Hindu that the report of the DGP would be forwarded to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for further action. If the police found merit in the allegations, legal action would be initiated in accordance with law and in consultation with the ECI. The provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Representation of People's Act could be invoked to deal with election-related corrupt practices. The future course of action would be dependent on the police report, he said.
