Responding to self-styled political power broker T.G. Nandakumar’s allegation that he gave ₹10 lakh to Shobha Surendran, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Tuesday admitted to receiving the money in her bank account in connection with a land deal.
Speaking to reporters, Ms. Surendran who is contesting Lok Sabha polls as a National Democratic Alliance candidate in the Alappuzha constituency, said Mr. Nandakumar transferred the money as an advance amount for purchasing eight cents of land from her.
“I decided to sell a property to raise money for the medical treatment of a family member. I told Nandakumar about it and he agreed to purchase the land. He first offered an advance amount of ₹10 lakh in cash but I asked him to transfer the money to my bank account. He later withdrew from the deal. I have not yet sold the land to another person. I will not return the money to Nandakumar, but is ready to hand over the land if he pays the balance amount,” Ms. Surendran said.
The BJP leader alleged that Mr. Nandakumar had tried to help a top Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader switch to the BJP and split the communist party.
“He approached me two years ago by promising to bring some CPI(M) leaders, including a top leader from Kannur district, to the BJP. Nandakumar visited the BJP national office several times for that purpose. He demanded a huge amount from BJP leaders in Delhi to bring the CPI(M) leader. I also met the CPI(M) leader. Nandakumar should reveal the name of the leader,” she added.
