'No one offered money, I don't follow such paths': Kovoor Kunjumon denies Rs 50 crore allegation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kovoor Kunjumon, MLA, has denied allegations that fellow MLA Thomas K. Thomas offered Rs 100 crore to join Ajit Pawar faction of NCP. In a statement, Kunjumon asserted, "No one has offered money. I have never discussed such matters with either Anthony Raju or Thomas K. Thomas." He further emphasized that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had called him regarding these allegations and confirmed that no such incident had occurred.

Kunjumon elaborated, "Nobody has offered him money. Antony never spoke about any such incident with me. The transaction of money was never discussed and I still haven’t spoken to Thomas K. Thomas about this." He expressed that while he feels he deserved better representation, he has not made any accusations against anyone.

The controversy arose from claims that Thomas K. Thomas attempted to persuade two MLAs to defect by offering Rs 50 crore each. These allegations were reported to the CPM state secretariat by the Chief Minister. In response, Thomas K. Thomas submitted a letter to the Chief Minister denying any wrongdoing.

According to the complaint received by the Chief Minister, it was alleged that Thomas K. Thomas invited MLAs Anthony Raju (Democratic Kerala Congress) and Kovoor Kunjumon (RSP Leninist) to join the BJP ally NCP by offering them Rs 50 crore each. When the Chief Minister contacted Raju to inquire about the matter, Raju reportedly confirmed the information.