Cong. attempts to cash in on ‘business ties’ allegation

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has sought to make the alleged business relationship between Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener E.P. Jayarajan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar a campaign issue, especially in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.

Congress’s highprofile candidate and incumbent MP Shashi Tharoor is locked in a threepronged contest with Mr. Chandrasekhar and Communist Party of India’s (CPI) Pannian Raveendran in the constituency.

Satheesan claims to have proof of alleged business liaison between Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Jayarajan

Ayurveda resort

Mr. Satheesan’s accusation that Mr. Jayarajan’s family and Mr. Chandrasekhar were stakeholders in an Ayurveda resort in Kannur has arguably become a political hot potato for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and also the BJP, though in varying degrees.

Both Mr. Jayarajan and Mr. Chandrasekhar have denied any personal or business acquaintance. Mr. Jayarajan had claimed that a family member had some minor stake in the resort.

However, Mr. Satheesan refused to let go and sought to tighten the screws on the CPI(M) leadership. At a press conference in Attingal on Monday, Mr. Satheesan claimed that he had incontrovertible proof of the alleged business liaison between the two leaders. He dared Mr. Jayarajan and Mr. Chandrasekhar to sue him for libel.

Secret alliance

Mr. Satheesan also spotlighted the accusation as emblematic of the CPI(M)’s secret alliance with the BJP in Kerala. He posited it as a counter to the CPI(M) campaign refrain that a vote for the Congress was tantamount to an endorsement of the BJP.

The CPI(M) had highlighted the trickle of defections from the Congress in Kerala to the BJP to persuade the electorate that the ideological line between the political parties was obscure.

BJP State president K. Surendran said Mr. Satheesan was aiding the CPI(M) by refusing to discuss livelihood and developmental issues.