‘Jyoti Malhotra invited with good intentions, not afraid of any false propaganda’: Kerala Tourism Minister Riyas

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas has claimed that vlogger Jyoti Malhotra was invited to the state with good intentions and that the government had no knowledge of her alleged involvement in espionage for Pakistan. He questioned whether anyone would seriously believe that a state government would knowingly invite a person accused of sedition to participate in an official event, and added that he is not afraid of false propaganda.

The controversy originated from the recent release of Right to Information (RTI) documents which confirmed that Jyoti (33), a vlogger from Haryana, was invited to Kerala as part of a tourism promotion campaign. Her name appeared on the official list of 41 social media influencers engaged by the Tourism Department for promotional activities.

According to the documents, the Department arranged for her travel, accommodation and meals, in addition to paying her for the campaign. As part of the programme, Jyoti visited Alappuzha, Munnar, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur — all funded by the Kerala Tourism Department.

The fact that Jyoti, who was later arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan, had visited Kerala on an official government invitation triggered widespread criticism.

In response, Minister Riyas issued a strong statement, taking aim at sections of the media and critics. “Kerala is not a place where ministers or the government would knowingly host or provide facilities to someone engaged in espionage. Does anyone really believe that the government would deliberately bring such a person here?” he asked.

“Are they trying to imply that the Tourism Department was complicit in her alleged activities?”

He further clarified that Jyoti, like other influencers, was invited as part of a long-standing promotional strategy followed by the Department over the years. “There was no special role played by the government or the minister in choosing these influencers,” he added.

“Let those spreading falsehoods continue with their propaganda — we have nothing to fear,” Riyas asserted.