Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: PTI Photo
A former CPM activist, who had earlier put out a social media post alleging that a CPM leader had taken money from "big shots", has now come out with a fresh post stating that it was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who took the money.
Former associate editor of CPM's mouthpiece Deshabhimani G Sakthidharan alleged in a social media post in June that he once helped a popular leader count Rs 2.35 crore gifted by several "big shots" at his then office in Kochi, which was packed in two reed mats and taken to Thiruvananthapuram in a car.
He also alleged that a millionaire had once gifted two packets of currencies to the same leader at a hotel in Kovalam tourist spot.
Though Sakthidharan did not mention the name of the leader in his earlier post, the references that the person is "popular from Trivandrum to Time Square" was widely considered as an indirect reference to Vijayan who spoke at Times Square during his US trip in June.
On Thursday, Sakhidharan mentioned in a social media post that the said leader was Pinarayi Vijayan. A minister who was allegedly present in the car from Kochi was Industries Minister P Rajeeve, he alleged.
Rajeeve told reporters that the social media post was only Sakthidharan's "imaginations and there was no iota of truth".
The fresh revelations have come at a time when the police have decided to close a probe initiated into the allegation, citing "lack of evidence" as Sakthidharan had not revealed any names..
Congress MP Benny Behanan, who had filed the police petition seeking probe into the revelations of the former CPM activist, is likely to challenge the police's move to close the case citing the fresh revelations.