Kerala BJP demands thorough probe into PSC bribery case

Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP on Sunday intensified its criticism of the ruling CPM over allegations of bribes paid for appointments to the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC). The party lodged a complaint with the state police chief, demanding a "thorough investigation".

The BJP accused the Left leadership of attempting to downplay the issue as an internal matter, alleging that there were "big forces" behind the scam.

In a complaint submitted to DGP Sheikh Darvesh Saheb, BJP state chief K. Surendran alleged that the ruling party was making PSC appointments after accepting bribes. He emphasised that this was a serious matter requiring immediate investigation.

He alleged that the incident was only the tip of the iceberg and it has broken the credibility of the PSC.

"It is crystal clear that a PSC member cannot be appointed merely on the wishes and actions of a CPM Area Committee member and so it has to be inferred that there are indeed big forces at play behind it," he said.

It is therefore necessary to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and bring the main culprits to justice, Surendran said in his complaint.

The BJP leader's complaint further says that there allegedly is a black money trail leading to a Rs 25 lakh bribe paid by CPM local leader Pramod Kothuli and that also needs to be investigated.

A thorough police investigation is needed to regain public trust in the PSC in the wake of the allegations, he added.

The BJP lodged the police complaint a day after the ruling CPM expelled its Kozhikode Town Area Committee member K V Pramod alias Pramod Kothuli, whose name was reported in connection with the allegations that bribes were paid for appointments to the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC).

The district secretariat of the ruling CPM, in a statement, however, did not refer to any allegations but said Kothuli was removed from the primary membership of the party for tarnishing its image in public.

The issue was earlier raised in the state assembly by the Opposition over news reports that a local CPM leader in Kozhikode had allegedly collected bribes from a doctor on the promise of securing a position for him as a PSC member.

The CPM district secretariat, which met on Saturday, decided to take action against Kothuli after his name cropped up in news reports.

Meanwhile, he, along with his mother and son, went to the house of one Sreejith, who had allegedly made the bribery claims, and staged a protest demanding that the accusations of bribery be proved. PTI