New Delhi/Kochi: A day after a former journalist made a serious allegation against an unnamed CPM top leader, Kerala's Opposition Leader V D Satheesan on Tuesday tried to escalate it saying the charges were levelled against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Benny Behanan has lodged a complaint with the state police chief, requesting him to initiate a probe into the allegations of illegal wealth amassment raised by former Desabhimani associate editor G Sakthidharan.
Addressing the media in Delhi, the Congress leader dared CM Vijayan to order a police probe into the allegations raised by Sakthidharan. Desabhimani is the CPM's mouthpiece in Kerala and Sakthidharan was expelled from the party years ago.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Sakthidharan said a prominent CPM leader had collected over Rs 2 crore from several 'big shots' and took the amount to Thiruvananthapuram. Giving clear hints about the identity of the leader, Sakthidharan wrote "he is very popular from Trivandrum to Time Square and son of an ordinary toddy-tapper". Pinarayi had recently attended a meeting of Keralites in Times Square, New York.
"Once I helped him count huge amounts of currency gifted by several big shots. It happened at my erstwhile office at Kaloor in Cochin for two consecutive days, where he stayed.... I remember the amount counted when I was still there. It was two crore thirty-five thousand. In the meantime, I along with my colleague, who was the elder son of the brother of a legendary leader, rushed to buy two large reed mats for packing the currency. The amount was kept in the dicky of an Innova car that rode to Trivandrum late at night. In the car was a minister in the present cabinet. What happened to the money? It simply went to darkness. He loves darkness and all exchanges of money take place in darkness (sic)," Sakthidharan wrote on FB in English.
In the post, he made another allegation that the same leader had taken away a packet purportedly containing Rs 10 lakh to his home. The money was given to him by a millionaire at his hotel in Kovalam.
The Congress found an opportunity in the allegations at a time when its leaders -- PCC president K Sudhakaran and Satheesan -- have been booked by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in separate cases.
"The police have registered a case against Sudhakaran based on an old statement given by a complainant. These are fabricated cases made by the government to divert public attention from a series of allegations against them. Let the police probe them. But the police should investigate something else also. Sakthidharan, who was a member of Desabhimani's editorial board, has levelled severe allegations against the chief minister. We want to know if the CM is ready to order a probe into the allegations and step aside as home minister," the Congress leader asked.
"When a probe has been initiated against Sudhakaran based on the statement of his driver who was expelled, is it right to evade the revelations of a person who claims who had helped (Pinarayi) count the money he received?" Satheesan said.
Benny seeks protection for Sakthidharan
Senior Congress leader and Chalakudy MP, Benny, on Tuesday, filed a complaint with the state police chief bringing to his notice the allegations made by Sakthidharan. He said a comprehensive probe should be conducted into the allegations immediately and steps should be taken to record Sakthidharan's statement.
"Since Sakthidaharan has raised the allegations against a top CPM leader, his life could be in danger. Hence the police should take steps to give him protection at the earliest," Benny said in his complaint.
