THE entire top brass of BJP’s state leadership is under fire for massive corruption charges against them. The storm was triggered when an internal enquiry commission report which reveals that Rs 5.6 crores have been taken as bribe, was leaked by a section of leaders. The report said that the money was received by the leaders to illegally arrange the sanction from Indian Medical Council to a self financing medical college floated in Cherpulasseri in Palakkad district by some businessmen. The report also revealed facts about the Hawala and black money transactions and mafia operations by the BJP leaders.

The corruption charges in the enquiry report and the leakage of the report from party state headquarters have generated huge embarrassment in party rank and file as well as the leadership. Soon after this incident hit the headlines, so many corruption charges were raised against the leaders in each level of the BJP. Earlier, BJP leaders had taken bribes for illicit allotments of petrol pumps and gas agencies during the previous NDA regime.

S R Vinod, convenor of BJP’s co-operative cell and a close aide of state President Kummanam Rajashekharan, is in the eye of the storm. Enquiry committee headed by BJP state vice president K P Sreeshan and state secretary A K Nazeer has found that S R Vinod received the amount from Shaji, owner of S R College in Varkala. Shaji admitted that he had handed over the money, the report said. The report also mentions the name of M T Ramesh a forerunner for the post of president for the next term.  Enquiry commission also recommended action against the accused. Though the official leaders tried to conceal the report, the rival group headed by former state president V Muraleedharan, took up this report in party circles and this move finally ended up in the leakage of the report to the media.

The money was transferred to Satish Nair, who operates in Delhi through an illegal way. Satish Nair is known to be a close aide of Kummanam Rajashekharan who boasts himself as a non corrupt leader. Shaji made contact through S Rakesh, another aide of Kummanam. Thus the report indirectly accuses state president. The rival group has alleged that the report was kept in back burner as it points the finger on Kummanam and M T Ramesh.

Soon after the enquiry commission report was leaked, several corruption charges have sprouted against various leaders. The information about the misuse of money which was distributed to the central leadership by the state leaders has been floated in the media. Another allegation is about the printing of fake receipts for money collection to host BJP’s national council meeting which was held in Calicut last year. The news about bribery for allotting Jan Aushadhi outlets, for recruitment in the army and illegal collection of money from traders was also leaked to media by rival group leaders.

CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan demanded a thorough enquiry by the vigilance and anti corruption bureau into the bribery charges against the BJP leaders.