Kochi: Kerala Industries Minister and senior CPI(M) leader P Rajeeve has vehemently denied the allegation made by former editor of the party organ 'Deshabhimani,' G. Sakthidharan, regarding carrying a sum of Rs 2.35 crore.
The alleged incident took place two decades ago, as claimed by Sakthidharan, who stated that Rajeeve had carried the sum from Kochi to the CPI(M)'s state party headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
In a Facebook post back in June, Sakthidharan had alluded to a mysterious leader counting cash amounting to Rs 2 crore. Though not directly naming anyone, his post hinted at a senior CPI(M) figure's involvement in the alleged financial transaction. The incident allegedly took place over a two-day period in Kochi.
Sakthidharan has now identified the leader in question as none other than Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. According to Sakthidharan, Vijayan purportedly counted the substantial sum of cash at the Kochi office before handing it over to P. Rajeeve, a prominent CPI(M) leader who currently serves as Kerala's Industries Minister.
Rajeeve, who denied these allegations, addressed the media, asserting that the claims hold no merit and are simply a product of imagination devoid of any substantial evidence. The case gained momentum when Congress Lok Sabha member Benny Behanan filed a formal complaint with the police following Sakthidharan's initial revelations.
Law enforcement subsequently launched an investigation into the matter. Sakthidharan was called in to provide his statement, yet recent reports suggest that due to a lack of substantial evidence, the police are on the brink of closing the case.
Known for his close ties to CPI(M) legends such as EMS, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, and V.S. Achuthanandan, Sakthidharan's revelations have sent shockwaves through the political landscape.
He notably parted ways with the party a few years ago and embarked on his own journalistic venture, 'Janashakthi,' which has since reported on various controversies surrounding the CPI(M)'s top echelons.