BJP’s Kerala vice-president Sobha Surendran on Tuesday levelled serious allegations against state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the alleged corruption in awarding contracts to install Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled cameras in the state.
Speaking to media persons in Trissur, Sobha Surendran alleged that the director of the company which took the tender for the AI cameras, Ramjith, is a benami of Prakash Babu, who is the father-in-law of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son.
She alleged that Opposition leader V D Satheesan has been shielding the chief minister. He is behaving like the deputy CM of Kerala, she said
“Satheesan kept mum even after realising that Prakash Babu’s benami company had taken the contract for the AI camera project. The ruling party and opposition have been cooperating in the state. Satheesan and other opposition leaders were careful not to mention Prakash Babu’s name. The ruling party and the opposition are working as a mutual help group in the state,” Sobha said
She further said the Opposition doesn’t want to expose Prakash Babu even though it had revealed the involvement of a Kannur-based industrialist in the project.
When a reporter pointed out that BJP state president K Surendran also kept silent on the name of Prakash Babu, Sobha said just because the party state chief has not said anything on it,doesn’t mean that she cannot take a different stance as party vice-president.
Sobha also said that she has forwarded a letter to the Centre demanding a probe by a central agency into the alleged corruption in the AI camera project.
She further said the vigilance probe in the AI camera issue is a mere eyewash as the chief minister is an expert in using the state probe agencies for his benefit.