Unease within Keralam BJP over CMRL claims

On Friday, unease emerged within the Kerala BJP unit following the release of a diary entry purportedly detailing payments made by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) to political leaders. Party leader and vice-president Shone George distributed a photograph of the diary, which included payments made to key figures such as Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan, and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.

However, the name of V Muraleedharan, a BJP MLA from Kazhakootam and former Union minister, was notably absent from the list.

Muraleedharan responded to the controversy by denying any financial dealings with CMRL officials, expressing his discontent with George's actions. He questioned George's motivations behind publishing the diary entry and urged the media not to focus on him, stating, "Ask Shone George why he put out the diary entry and what his intentions are. Don’t ask me. I don’t have any responsibility for the document that he has produced."

The BJP state unit expressed its support for Muraleedharan, condemning the allegations from the Left and Congress parties as attempts to divert public opinion from the corruption and bribery charges in the CMRL-Exalogic case. BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekharan reaffirmed the party's solidarity with Muraleedharan, stating that they would "strongly resist all such attacks on Muraleedharan" and that he is a "loyal party worker."

Meanwhile, George defended his actions and accused the media of creating an internal crisis within the BJP. He stated that if Muraleedharan were to ask him to remain silent, he would comply, as he is a "loyal party worker" and has "no intention of filing an internal complaint against me."