Senior BJP leader rejects sexual harassment charges against him, calling it 'false'

Palakkad (Kerala), Aug 27 (PTI) BJP state vice president C Krishnakumar on Tuesday rejected sexual harassment allegations raised against him by a woman, saying that it was a false charge made keeping a property dispute in mind.

He indicated that the complainant woman, a native of Palakkad, is a close relative of his wife and she has been raising the charges against him for several years.

Krishnakumar's clarification came soon after a section of the media reported that the woman sent a complaint to BJP state Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar the other day, and she got an acknowledgement from his office.

The allegations against the senior BJP leader assumed significance as it came two days after Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was suspended from the Congress party over multiple sexual misconduct complaints.

During the press meet, Krishnakumar strongly rejected the charges by the woman and said that both the police and the court had dismissed the civil case filed by her related to the property dispute and a domestic violence case in this connection after thorough investigation.

The harassment charges were also found false by the agencies, he claimed.

"This particular complaint has come up in connection with a property dispute in my family. The complainant raised the same complaint when I myself and my wife contested in elections in 2015 and 2020 respectively," he said.

Police investigated her complaint and submitted a report to the court. The report dismissed all charges made by her as there was no evidence, the BJP leader claimed.

He further said the sexual harassment complaint was filed against him to get an upper hand in the civil case connected to the property dispute.

When reporters asked about the complainant's charge that senior BJP leaders, including V Muraleedharan and MT Ramesh ignored her complaint, Kishnakumar justified them and said the party had not taken any action against him as the complaint lacked any merit.

He alleged that former BJP leader Sandeep Warrior, who recently joined the Congress following differences with the party leadership, was the person behind the woman.

He also took a dig at Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan who warned "shocking revelations" against political opponents in view of their criticism against the Congress party in Mamkootathil issue.

Facing flak from rival parties, including the ruling CPI(M), over complaints of sexual misbehaviour against Rahul Mamkootathil, Congress senior leader V D Satheesan on Tuesday warned the Left party against "playing too much" as it would soon face "shocking" revelations itself.

Satheesan also told the Kerala BJP unit, which held a protest march to his official residence with a bull, that it would need that animal soon to organise an agitation against its state chief, Rajeev Chandrasekhar. PTI LGK ADB