More trouble for Kerala BJP: JRS alleges CK Janu got additional Rs 25 lakh cash for NDA deal

BJP state president K Surendran refuted the allegations and said that the party would take legal action against it.

In what could spell more trouble for the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Janadhipathya Rashtriya Sabha (JRS) leader has told police that JRS president CK Janu was paid Rs 25 lakh in cash besides Rs 10 lakh given to her for returning to the NDA. JRS treasurer Praseetha Azhikode, who came out with the stinging allegations first, deposed her statement before the Crime Branch in Wayanad. A case was registered against BJP state president K Surendran in the alleged cash deal after Praseetha’s allegations. She had earlier alleged that Janu received Rs 10 lakh to return to the NDA fold before the Kerala assembly elections.

Praseetha also released an audio clip of a purported conversation between Janu and Surendran. In the audio, Surendran was heard saying that the JRS would be given Rs 25 lakh for her party. Praseetha yesterday alleged that Rs 25 lakh was given to C K Janu in cash, against the BJP state president’s claim that the party had only digital transactions during the polls. She also alleged that while the money was meant for party and elections, Janu used it for personal purposes.

According to Praseetha, the alleged cash deal worth Rs 25 lakh took place on March 26 at a home stay in Wayanad. She claimed that the cash was handed over to Janu by BJP Wayanad district secretary Prasanth Malavayal. “The cash was brought in a cloth bag under the guise of prasadam from the temple. Plantains were kept above the currencies in the bag,” alleged Praseetha. She claimed that the deal happened a day after the purported conversation between Janu and Surendran.

BJP state president K Surendran refuted the allegations and said that the party would take legal action against it. He said that the state government cannot silence the BJP by registering cases against the party.

Yesterday, the Kerala High Court directed the Enforcement Directorate to file a detailed affidavit in the case where Loktantrik Yuva Janata Dal national president Salim Madavoor has sought a probe by a central agency to ascertain the source of the alleged black money used by the BJP during elections.