BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan says he's unaware of scam report

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan has maintained before the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau that he was unaware of any internal inquiry report of the party implicating its leaders for allegedly accepting huge bribes for securing recognition to medical colleges, it is learnt. Mr Kummanam, who appeared before the Vigilance on Monday as part of the probe into the alleged scam involving Rs 5.6-crore, said that following allegations of some financial dealings by some party leaders, he had asked two leaders, K.P. Sreesan and A.K. Nazeer, to inquire about it.

They told him of certain financial dealings of BJP co-operative cell convener R. S. Vinod with Varkala-based SR Medical College and Research Centre owner and Bharat Dharma Jana Sena leader R. Shaji. Hence, Mr Vinod was expelled from the party. But the financial dealings had nothing to do with the party, Mr Kummanam was learnt to have told the Vigilance. Sources said he also maintained that he was unaware of any inquiry report in this regard. While the Vigilance team showed a copy of the said report to Mr Kummanam, he said he was not sure of the authenticity of that report.

The Vigilance Special Investigation Unit- II led by SP K. Jayakumar had given notices to Mr K.P. Sreesan and Mr A.K. Nazeer to appear before it on Tuesday. A notice was also sent to Delhi-based power-broker Satish Nair asking him to appear on August 24. The Vigilance probe was initiated on the basis of a petition filed by Mr A. J. Sukarno, former CPM councillor in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, following reports that the internal inquiry had implicated many BJP leaders in the scam.