Which Muraleedharan got Rs 3 lakh from Kartha? BJP’s CMRL salvo on UDF, LDF backfires

The Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala found itself in an awkward political position on Thursday when an attempt to expose alleged financial payoffs involving rival political alliances inadvertently brought scrutiny upon one of its own senior leaders.

During a media briefing held at Mararji Bhavan, the state party headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, BJP State Vice-President Shone George displayed documents allegedly extracted from a 39-page diary belonging to S.N. Sasidharan Kartha, founder and managing director of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited. The paperwork, reportedly submitted to court by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office and circulated on social media by a content creator, listed more than 20 prominent figures across the political spectrum.

Shone accused the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front and the opposition Left Democratic Front of colluding in a clandestine arrangement to suppress a Vigilance enquiry and avoid filing a formal police report regarding the CMRL-Exalogic financial controversy. Among the names highlighted were Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan, Forest Minister Shibu Baby John, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Member of Parliament Hibi Eden, and P.K. Kunhalikutty. Shone noted that any political funding exceeding 20,000 rupees must be declared to the Election Commission, questioning whether rival factions had documented these sums in official party filings.

Whistleblower briefing takes unexpected turn

The press conference took an unexpected turn when senior BJP leader and state assembly member V. Muraleedharan, who served as Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs between 2019 and 2024, entered the hall to conduct a subsequent scheduled briefing.

Journalists present drew attention to another page from the same diary, as well as a social media excerpt, which recorded in Kartha’s own handwriting that an individual marked as Mr Muraleedharan BJP had received 3 lakh rupees from the firm. The documents also contained references to figures associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Aikya Vedi.

Caught off guard, Shone initially maintained that no BJP leaders appeared in the records he had examined, adding that his party held only three assembly seats and one parliamentary seat in recent years and lacked the administrative power to extend corporate favours. When reporters pressed him on the entry, Shone suggested the record referred to Congress Health Minister K. Muraleedharan. However, reporters presented the specific page explicitly linking the surname to the BJP. Shone then pivoted to assert that V. Muraleedharan had previously demanded an official probe into the mining firm's affairs.

Senior leader denies accepting company funds

Appearing composed alongside Shone, V. Muraleedharan firmly denied accepting any financial payments from the mining company. He questioned whether reporters assumed he was the sole person bearing that name within the organisation, pointing out that other individuals with the same surname could exist across various levels of the party.

Reflecting on his 50-year career in public service, which began at the age of 18, the former Union Minister stated that his personal and financial background remained an open book accessible to scrutiny by the government or party authorities. He recalled his past participation in public agitations against CMRL over industrial pollution around FACT in Kochi, asserting that local journalists were well aware of his long-standing opposition to the firm. Categorically denying the receipt of any money, he called for a comprehensive official inquiry to identify who was listed in the ledger and who had collected funds under that name.

Investigation demand

Addressing journalists, V. Muraleedharan dismissed suggestions that the episode had damaged his standing, adding that Shone had consistently supported his stance regarding the mining company. BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar urged law enforcement authorities to register a formal case and investigate all individuals mentioned in the ledger, while maintaining that any probe must initially target the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, leaders from rival parties rejected the allegations. Congress Health Minister K. Muraleedharan clarified that accepting legitimate campaign donations during elections could not be equated with illicit payoffs. Communist Party of India State Secretary Binoy Viswam similarly stated that party officials accepted funds strictly through official channels for organisational conferences and electoral campaigns.