Muraleedharan charged with bribery bid

Muraleedharan charged with bribery bid

By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram: An opposition leader in Kerala has said he was offered Rs20 million (Dh1.67 million) or a ministerial post to help topple the previous A.K. Antony government.

The allegation by Umesh Challiyal of the Janadhitpatya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) close on the heels of a similar one by his party chief and former Marxist leader K.R. Gowri has become a talking point in state politics.

Challiyal said he received the offer from K. Muraleedharan, president of the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), who was earlier with the Congress. Gowri claimed that present chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan had approached her to sabotage the Antony ministry.

Achuthanandan flatly refuted the allegation, saying he had met her only to exchange pleasantries.

Ruling Communist Party of India Marxist state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan also refuted Gowri's allegation, saying the "CPI-M does not offer cash to anyone".

Reacting to Challiyil's statement yesterday, Muraleedharan said there was no truth in what the JSS leader was saying.

Tags:

• CPM
• COMMUNIST-CRIMES
• CPM-LEADERS

Source: Gulfnews