After a 90-minute long questioning by the Kerala Police team probing the case of the alleged hawala money that reached the state ahead of the April 6 assembly polls, State BJP president K. Surendran said on Wednesday that this was a stage managed act done to shame the BJP.
“The BJP has no role in this case and the police probe team is doing this to please their political bosses. They are doing it to shame the BJP,” said Surendran.
He was questioned by the police at the Thrissur Police club.
It was early this month that the police officials reached his residence and served a notice to him to appear before the team probing the case of the alleged hawala money, but he did not appear on the day he was asked to come and instead appeared on Wednesday.
After receiving the notice, Surendran then said that he will make one thing very clear that he will not feign chest pain or produce a fake Covid positive certificate to escape (which a few CPI-M leaders reportedly did when notices were served on them).
Surendran’s driver and an aide have already been questioned by the police.
The BJP’s Kerala unit was caught on the wrong foot when a person filed a complaint with the Thrissur rural police that an amount of Rs 25 lakh which he was carrying in his vehicle to pay as advance money for a land transaction was stolen from him on the Thrissur-Kodakara highway in April.
Ever since this row broke out, the national leadership is peeved especially when reports surfaced that tribal leader C.K. Janu’s party JRP received Rs 10 lakh from Surendran, for returning to the BJP-led NDA.
The revelation by JRP Treasurer Praseeda Azhikode was quickly denied by Surendran and Janu, who threatened to take legal action against her.
The CPI-M’s acting secretary and convener of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), A. Vijayaraghavan, then alleged that this money was “Hawala” money being used by the BJP to fund its electioneering and the money was meant for party candidates.
He also alleged that the BJP is responsible for the “Hawala” network and added that this was the first time such a huge money transfer has taken place in the state.
Vijayaraghavan then alleged that an amount of Rs 3.5 crore was allegedly swindled and that senior state leaders of the BJP were behind the deal.
Soon the Kerala Police registered a case and by now, various lower and middle level leaders of the BJP have been questioned and let off.