NCP (SP) MLA Thomas K Thomas.
Credit: Facebook
Thiruvananthapuram: Triggering unrest in the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, a NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA in the state allegedly tried to woo two left front MLAs to the NCP (Ajith Pawar) camp by offering Rs 50 crore each.
NCP MLA Thomas K Thomas allegedly made the huge offer to Democratic Kerala Congress MLA and former minister Antony Raju and independent MLA Kovoor Kunjumon of Revolutionary Socialist Party-Leninist. While Raju did not deny the allegation, Kunjumon denied it.
Denying the allegation, Thomas said that it was part of a conspiracy by Raju as he is eyeing the Kuttanad assembly seat, which is now held by Thomas.
The horse-trading allegation has come up at a time when by-polls to the Wayanad Parliament seat and Palakkad and Chelakkara Assembly seats are in the offing.
At present NCP is having two MLAs in Kerala and the party state unit is with the Sharad Pawar faction. Forest minister A K Saseendran is the other MLA. Recently Thomas made a claim for the minister post by replacing Saseendran. Even as the party reportedly gave nod for the replacement, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not allow it for unknown reasons.
But now it has come out that Raju had informed Vijayan about Thomas's bid to woo him and other left front MLA. Hence Vijayan decided not to induct Thomas to his cabinet. Vijayan had also conveyed the matter to NCP state president P C Chacko.
Raju who did not deny the allegation said that he had conveyed everything that happened to the Chief Minister. "Now I have limitations in revealing anything more on it. The allegation that I misled the Chief Minister is not true," said Raju.
It is alleged that Thomas made the offer to the two left-front MLAs in the Kerala Assembly complex. He allegedly told them that Ajit Pawar was willing to spend up to Rs. 250 crore to woo MLAs from Kerala.
Sources said that even as both the Democratic Kerala Congress and RSP-Leninist parties are having only one MLA each in Kerala, it would not be easy to avoid anti-defection law.
"Kunjumon contested as an independent MLA. Hence if he joins any party during the term of this Assembly, he will face disqualification as MLA. Antony Raju could also face disqualification unless his party as a whole joins another party," sources in the legislature secretariat pointed out.
Kunjumon said that the allegation was baseless. "The Chief Minister had enquired to me about it a couple of weeks back and I had told him that no such meeting had taken place and no such offers came. I will demand the government to conduct a probe into the matter," he told reporters.