Wayanad: Amid a row over the alleged neglect by party leadership, raised by the family of the late N M Vijayan, former treasurer of the Wayanad District Congress Committee, the Congress leadership on Sunday asserted that the party would resolve the issue promptly.

N M Vijayan and his younger son, Jijesh, died by suicide in December 2024, reportedly due to mounting debt incurred as part of fundraising efforts for the Congress party during his tenure as treasurer. The incident brought to light the 'bribe-for-job scam' in the district’s cooperative banking sector.

Vijayan’s suicide note created a major stir, as it noted details of alleged bribe transactions for jobs in various cooperative banks under Congress control in the district. The note and two letters along with it named several Congress leaders, including District Congress Committee president N D Appachan, Sulthan Bathery MLA I C Balakrishnan, and K K Viswanathan.

Additionally, two cases of cheating were registered at the Sulthan Bathery police station against the leaders who had allegedly taken bribes in exchange for job promises and failed to deliver.

Wayanad DCC president N D Appachan told Onmanorama on Sunday that the recently held KPCC state committee meeting had decided to take responsibility for settling the debt on Vijayan’s home at Manichira in Sulthan Bathery. The debt secured against the property alone amounts to around Rs 53 lakh, he said.

A four-member committee constituted by the KPCC will soon meet the family to find out a strategy for settling the debt. "I raised the issue on my own at the KPCC meeting, and the decision to help the family was taken unanimously," Appachan said.

The KPCC had appointed a four-member team headed by senior Congress leaders Tiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, KPCC working president T N Prathapan, Political Affairs committee member Sunny Joseph and KPCC general secretary K Jayanth.

Appachan’s response came after fresh allegations were made earlier in the day by Vijayan's Vijesh son and his wife. They claimed that Congress leaders were ignoring their pleas and not responding to calls.

Vijesh, who had made several failed attempts to secure an appointment with Priyanka Gandhi during her flash visit to the district on Sunday, was waiting outside Gaja, the forest guest house in Sulthan Bathery, when he and his wife spoke to the media.

They said they hoped to inform Priyanka Gandhi directly of their plight, as she had earlier assured the family that the party would stand by them and help settle their financial burden.

Earlier, the family had also met senior Congress leaders, including KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, during the inauguration of the District Congress Committee office in Kozhikode.

"If the leaders continue their apathetic attitude towards us, we will be forced to take our own course of action, which could damage the party’s image," Vijesh said.

Vijayan and his son Jijesh, a person with mental and physical disabilities, were found in critical condition after consuming poison at their home in Manichira on December 23. They were first treated at a local hospital and later shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. They died on December 27, 2024.