Kerala Chief Minister’s office has become a den of looters and mafia groups, says BJP leader K. Surendran

BJP Kerala president accuses Chief Minister's office of corruption, mafia links; predicts CPI(M) downfall in Kerala.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala president K. Surendran on Monday (September 30, 2024) alleged that the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has turned into “a den of looters and mafia groups.”

The revelations made by the Left Independent MLA P.V. Anvar against the Chief Minister’s political secretary and senior police officials had justified the allegations of corruption and nepotism raised against the office of the Chief Minister by the BJP for long, said Mr. Surendran at the State leadership meeting of the party held in Kochi.

Mr. Surendran alleged that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], which is now linking Mr. Anvar with gold smuggling, had encouraged him earlier to remain in power. “The Left government has not yet initiated a serious probe into the allegations raised by the Nilambur MLA even as the Chief Minister continued to evade queries by terming it as a conspiracy,” he said.

He also criticised CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan for his “failure” to provide a concrete reply to the allegations by Mr. Anvar that Chief Minister’s political secretary and higher police officials were aiding the interests of the gold smuggling rackets in Kerala. “The government has also failed to initiate a concrete probe into allegations of tapping phone calls of Ministers,” he said.

Mr. Surendran alleged that the branch meetings of the CPI(M) had been disrupted following the allegations raised by Mr. Anvar. “The CPI(M) is facing its worst-ever political crisis in Kerala as it will soon plunge into a crisis similar to the fate it met in West Bengal and Tripura,” he said.

Prakash Javadekar, former Union Minister and Kerala Prabhari of the BJP, said the CPI(M)’s strength in the Kerala Assembly will be reduced to zero very soon. “They will face a situation similar to West Bengal where the party’s strength declined to zero after being in power for 35 years,” he said.

“It will then be a fight between the Congress and the BJP in Kerala. And when its a fight between the Congress and the BJP, we know how to win,” he added.