ALAPPUZHA: Kuttanad MLA and NCP leader Thomas K Thomas on Friday denied allegations of offering Rs 50 crore each to MLAs Antony Raju and Kovoor Kunjumon to switch allegiance to NCP Ajith Pawar faction, and accused Raju of fabricating stories against him.
In a press conference in Alappuzha on Friday, Thomas stated, “Antony Raju is targeting me. I have submitted a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging a thorough investigation into these baseless allegations. I am hopeful that the chief minister will take appropriate action.”
Thomas claimed that Raju has been a longstanding rival, not only to him but also to his late brother and former MLA, Thomas Chandy. “Raju tried to secure the Kuttanad seat for his ally K C Joseph during the last assembly election but neither the CM nor other LDF leaders supported this. When my brother, Thomas Chandy, was being scrutinised, Raju was one of the leading public critics, clearly aiming to take the seat, and this latest allegation is a similar attempt,” he said.
Thomas further said that the allegations raised against him are aimed at weakening the NCP.
“Kunjumon has outrightly denied these Antony’s allegations. Antony said I discussed this ‘deal’ in the lobby of the Niyamasabha Complex. If such a significant offer was involved, why would it be discussed in a mere five minutes? If anything, we could have rented a hotel room for such a discussion. Through these allegations, he is simply trying to weaken the NCP and take over the Kuttanad assembly seat for his party,” said Thomas.
The MLA clarified his alignment with the NCP under Sharad Pawar, having signed an affidavit to confirm this commitment, and emphasised he has no connection with Ajith Pawar, whom he has met only once.
Clarifying why his entry into the cabinet is facing delay, the MLA said, “After the 2021 assembly election, we reached an agreement with Praful Patel that A K Saseendran and I would share the ministerial post on a two-and-a-half-year rotation. However, Raju has raised the allegations as my turn came up to delay the transition. The chief minister then requested our state president, P C Chacko, to hold the process for a while.”
“Even if the Ajit Pawar faction spent Rs100 crore, what benefit would it bring to the party? This claim lacks logic, and any reasonable person can see that,” Thomas said. “Antony’s exaggerated claims have backfired. If it was Rs 50 lakh or Rs 1 crore, the public would have believed it, but Rs 100 crore? It defies common sense,” he said.