CPI accuses BJP of using Jyoti Malhotra case to distract from national security failures

New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what it calls an attempt to politicise the arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who is currently in judicial custody on espionage charges.

In a statement issued on Monday, CPI MP P Santosh Kumar condemned the BJP's efforts to link the Kerala government to the national security case. Malhotra had previously visited Kerala as part of a state-run tourism influencer campaign.

"The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the BJP's attempt to drag the Kerala government into the Jyoti Malhotra espionage case to cover up its own grave failures on national security." Santosh said.

He further pointed out that international travel, including passport issuance, visa clearances, and intelligence monitoring, falls entirely under the jurisdiction of the Union government.

“Did the Kerala government approve her visits to Pakistan? Did it place her in contact with ISI handlers in Delhi? This is a desperate and politically motivated deflection,” he added.

He accused the BJP of attempting to distract from its own lapses, alleging that the party has “a long list of embarrassments involving its members linked to espionage and terrorism.”

The response comes after BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla cited an RTI document confirming that Jyoti Malhotra was among the influencers invited by the Kerala government for a tourism promotion campaign. “So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak spies are given red carpet by the Left,” Poonawalla had remarked.

Countering the claim, Santosh said the BJP was targeting Kerala over “a routine tourism event Malhotra once attended,” which had no connection to her alleged recruitment by Pakistani intelligence. “The Centre’s own agencies failed to detect multiple trips to Pakistan and foreign funding, all under their direct jurisdiction,” he stated.

Reaffirming that national security is a Central subject, the CPI MP said the BJP cannot absolve itself of repeated intelligence failures. “The people of India deserve accountability, not scapegoating and political vendetta,” he concluded.