BJP asks Sonia Gandhi to clarify meeting with prime accused in Sabarimala gold loss case

Addressing a press conference, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar displayed a photograph showing Sonia Gandhi with Potty and questioned the purpose of the meeting.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday said that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi should reveal the agenda behind her meeting with Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case.

Addressing a press conference here, Chandrasekhar displayed a photograph showing Sonia Gandhi with Potty and questioned the purpose of the meeting.

He alleged that the meeting took place when Sonia Gandhi was the Congress president and Oommen Chandy was the Chief Minister of Kerala.

"Sonia Gandhi and the Congress should explain what the agenda behind the meeting was," he asked.

Chandrasekhar also alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had held a similar meeting with Potty, but no clear explanation has been given so far.

He claimed that while the Congress projects organisations such as the Indian Union Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami as secular, it also held meetings in Delhi with a person accused of stealing gold from Sabarimala.

"What is the relationship between Sonia Gandhi, the Congress and Potty? We have been saying from the beginning that gold theft has been happening for the past 15 years. The photograph of Sonia Gandhi meeting Potty is clear evidence of this," he alleged.

He further alleged that not only Vijayan, but also Sonia Gandhi and the Congress, had promoted Potty.

Chandrasekhar accused the chief minister of violating the norms by appointing a former Upa Lok Ayukta as Ombudsman for local self-government institutions.

He said the appointment of former Justice Babu Mathew P Joseph as Ombudsman violated Section 5(3) of the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999, which bars a former Lok Ayukta or Upa Lok Ayukta from holding any subsequent office of profit under the government.

He said a representation was submitted in this regard to Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday.

Chandrasekhar also alleged that the Governor’s speech in the Assembly was replaced in official records with a different version by the CM.

"What is happening here? Is there no system? Has the Constitution been forgotten," he asked.

He said whatever the Governor speaks should be included in the Assembly records and replacing it with a paragraph reflecting the government’s interests was wrong.

Chandrasekhar said that CPI(M) MPs speak about protecting the Constitution while such actions are taking place. "For the first time in India, a practice of amending the Governor’s speech has occurred," he claimed.