​​THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP K Muraleedharan have asked whether BJP president K Surendran had shown the cost of his helicopter trips in the poll expense statement file before the election commission. He had also alleged that the saffron party had given up to Rs 3 crore to each of its candidate in Kerala.

He also added that among those candidates certain have claimed that they have only received up to Rs 25 to 30 Lakh. “Serious economic offences like hawala transactions had happened in BJP. It is the party central leadership which have distributed the hawala money. Therefore, they are equally responsible in the case,” he said.

“If an impartial investigation is carried out on the case then it might extend up to Narendra Modi. Does the chief minister have the guts to launch such an investigation? The chief minister must tell whether he can ensure that the guilty will be punished. All secular parties in Kerala will welcome such an independent probe,” he added.

“It was neither UDF nor LDF who raised the allegation of the hawala transaction at first. The allegation that Janu was taken to NDA after bribing her with Rs 10 Lakh, must be investigated. There is no use with Surendran’s emphatic response. That entire party is under the shadow of suspicion and it is feared whether the ongoing investigation will move on the right track. Certain undercurrents might be formed in the course of the investigation. Along with the ongoing probe another independent investigation must be launched along with it,” he said.

“The state government must call for a judicial probe on the case. A well-known judge retired from either Supreme Court or the high court must be appointed as the probe panel’s chief. This would reveal all conspiracies,” the Congress MP said.

“The BJP had spent crores of money in all the state assembly elections held recently. The most important reason why the Modi government failed to protect the nation during the second wave, was that their first priority was to capture power in Bengal and not in saving lives. They had spent crores in Bengal. As the party leaders in Bengal were only interested in stealing the central fund of the party, nothing came out from there. Whereas here, Rs 3 crore worth hawala deal has come out. Even the path of money must be probed,” the Congress leader added.