Former Bahujan Samaj Party member K Sundara, who recently alleged that the BJP gave him money to withdraw his nomination to contest the Assembly election against BJP state president K Surendran from Kasaragod’s Manjeshwar, is now under police protection. The Badiadka police granted him protection after he alleged that BJP members threatened his mother, asking him to change his statement. On June 5, K Sundara alleged that BJP gave him Rs 2.5 lakh and a mobile phone to withdraw his nomination from the Manjeshwar seat.
Based on the allegation, VV Rameshan, who contested as an LDF candidate from the constituency, had filed a complaint with Badiadka police station. On June 6, police officials took K Sundara’s statement, based on which he was provided police protection. “Some BJP members threatened my mother, warning me to take back my allegation that I was given money,” K Sundara told TNM. Meanwhile, the Badiadka police are carrying out an inquiry to assess whether a case should be registered against BJP chief K Surendran based on the complaint.
Incidentally, K Sundara shares a name similar to BJP’s K Surendran. In the 2016 Assembly polls. Sundara contested against Surendran. Though K Sundara alleged that he was given money, he had stated that he was threatened by BJP and hence withdrew his nomination. He also alleged that the BJP also allegedly offered ownership of a wine parlour in Karnataka. After Sundara withdrew his nomination, he was ousted from the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The controversy comes at a time when several BJP leaders are being questioned in the Kodakara money heist case allegedly involving Rs 3.5 crore. The incident took place on April 3, just three days before the 2021 Kerala Assembly election. AK Dharmarajan, an RSS functionary, and his driver alleged that Rs 25 lakh was stolen from their vehicle on a highway in Thrissur’s Kodakara. As the police started investigating the matter, the officials found that the stolen amount was more than Rs 25 lakh, and could be Rs 3.5 crore. The RSS member also told the police that the money was meant for BJP.
There are also allegations that K Surendran had allegedly given Rs 10 lakh to CK Janu, who is part of the Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party (JRP), to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Surendran and CK Janu, however, denied the allegation.