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Can't blame party for crime involving one individual: Kerala BJP distances itself from medical college scam

  • The BJP core committee and the state leaders' meet discussed the issue in detail and concluded that it was a "clear case of cheating done by an individual"
  • The party's hands are clean and it is ready to cooperate with the vigilance enquiry, said BJP leaders PS Sreedharan Pillai and K Surendran
  • The vigilance has served notices to a few persons who are alleged to have been directly involved in the scam, including the owner of a medical college
Kerala BJP medical college bribery scam Sreedharan Pillai rs vinod

The Kerala unit of the BJP on Saturday said the graft allegations against a party member over the issue of grant of MCI clearance to a private medical college was just an "individualistic offence" and a "case of cheating" by a worker, and the party had nothing to do with it. 

The party core committee and the state leaders' meet in Thiruvananthapuram that discussed the issue in detail concluded that it was a "clear case of cheating done by an individual" and the party would not protect the wrongdoer. 

The party's hands are clean and it is ready to cooperate with the vigilance enquiry ordered by the state government, BJP national executive member PS Sreedharan Pillai and state general secretary K Surendran told reporters after the meeting. "It is a cheating case committed by a party worker and the crime was done neither with the knowledge nor support of the party," PTI quoted Pillai as saying. 

Medical college scam: Vigilance orders probe, BJP expels RS Vinod

Putting up a brave face, Pillai said BJP took an "exemplary" decision to expel RS Vinod, convener of the cooperative cell, from the party immediately after the corruption allegation surfaced. "It is true that he had indulged in a criminal offence. It amounted to cheating which is a punishable offence under IPC. It was illegal and unethical," he added. 

The BJP leader stressed that the party would not compromise on corruption. The leader claimed that a wrong propaganda has been unleashed against the party for a crime in which it had no role. 

Pillai expressed dismay at the manner in which the media projected the issue as one of corruption connected with the party.  He said party state general secretary MT Ramesh, against whom also charges were levelled, had nothing to do with the matter. "The party's unanimous stand is that Ramesh is a leader who has a clean public and political life."

BJP medical bribery row rocks Lok Sabha

Replying to a question, Pillai, a former state president of the BJP, said the state leadership would submit a detailed report to the central leadership and it is for party president Amit Shah to take further steps on that. 

In an embarrassment to the BJP, an internal party report had purportedly said Vinod allegedly took Rs 5.60 crore bribe to facilitate Medical Council of India's (MCI) approval for the college at nearby Varkala. Vinod was expelled from the party, hours after the contents of the report submitted to the state party chief last month, surfaced in the media. 

The vigilance has served notices to a few persons who are alleged to have been directly involved in the scam, including the owner of a medical college in the capital district, to appear before the probe team.

Earlier during the BJP meeting, various party leaders went hammer and tongs against the state BJP leadership at the manner in which state party president Kummanem Rajasekheran appointed a two-member party committee to look into the allegation of bribe taking by some members, without informing the core committee. Trouble arose for the state unit after the report of the committee that studied the allegation was leaked to the media, which had names of BJP workers and leaders

Meanwhile, seizing on the matter, the Congress-led UDF has decided to stage demonstrations against the BJP across the state on Sunday. UDF convener P P Thankachan said a high-level probe under the supervision of court should be conducted. He also said serious allegations, including that of money laundering, have been levelled against BJP leaders.

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