A highly charged allegation surfaced just hours ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, as senior BJP leader Sobha Surendran revealed that CPI(M) stalwart E P Jayarajan, believed to have close ties with Pinarayi Vijayan, had agreed to join the BJP.
Sobha Surendran stirred the pot on Thursday, claiming that E P Jayarajan had initiated talks to defect to the BJP but subsequently withdrew from the decision due to purported threats from his party. Surendran alleged that Jayarajan's son had facilitated communication between them, suggesting a clandestine approach to the discussions.
Surendran further disclosed that the discussions transpired in Delhi, with middleman T G Nandakumar allegedly facilitating the meetings. She asserted that the BJP had authorized her to engage in such discussions with members of other parties expressing interest in joining their ranks.
Adding fuel to the fire, Surendran disclosed details of a meeting with Jayarajan's son in Kochi, along with the alleged procurement of a flight ticket by Nandakumar for her trip. These revelations come on the heels of Surendran's earlier claim that a senior CPI(M) leader was contemplating a move to the BJP.
Nandakumar, in response, implicated Jayarajan in discussions with BJP's Kerala in-charge, Prakash Javadekar, suggesting a potential deal involving the SNC Lavalin case. However, Jayarajan denied these allegations, labelling them as baseless lies.
The controversy has left the CPI(M) leadership visibly perturbed, as they grapple with the fallout of these accusations. Amidst their electioneering targeting the Congress over alleged "soft Hindutva" stances and defections to the BJP, this revelation threatens to undermine their narrative.
Jayarajan, speaking to the media in Kannur, dismissed the allegations outright, affirming that no such discussions ever occurred. The CPI(M) leadership, thus far, has remained silent on the matter, leaving room for speculation and further scrutiny.