Palakkad, Dec 2 (IANS): In a major boost to the main opposition Congress, the Kerala Police on Monday gave a clean chit to Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil of the Palakkad Assembly constituency in the election-related financial irregularities.
Palakkad SP R. Anand said that he has received the report of the investigation and has not found anything as given in the complaint by the CPI-M leaders.
“After thorough investigation, we have not found anything and hence are closing the case,” Anand said.
Mamkootathil said that it was a conspiracy hatched to defame him by a group led by State Minister for Local Self Government M. B. Rajesh and his brother-in-law.
“I had told you (media) back then that this is a conspiracy and I feel rather sorry for the CPI-M for having done this dirty game to paint me in a bad way,” the MLA said.
He added that the people of Palakkad gave him their huge support during the bypolls.
“I really wished the section of media which highlighted this news had looked into the real truth. We will not close the case and we will go forward with our case which was meant to defame me,” said Mamkootathil.
Rahul Mamkootathil won by over 18,000 votes defeating the BJP candidate in the Palakkad Assembly constituency. Mamkoothathil will be sworn in as a legislator on Wednesday.
On November 6, during the recently held Assembly bypolls in Palakkad, there was a huge uproar after police officials barged into the room of former Congress legislator Shanimol Usman and her junior colleague Bindhu Krishnan where they were staying during the campaign at Palakkad.
The police searched their room but found nothing suspicious in the room, leading to the filing of a complaint with the Election Commission of India by the Congress leaders.
However, some media outlets - close to CPI (M) - alleged that Congress Palakkad candidate Rahul Mamkootathil was also in the room with a blue trolley bag allegedly carrying huge sums of money for election purposes.
Kerala Leader of the Opposition (LoP) V.D. Satheesan said the ‘truth has come out’.
“How will you explain the indiscriminate act of the Police barging into the room of two of our women leaders? M.B. Rajesh and his brother-in-law should apologise for this indiscriminate act. The CPI-M should too apologise,” said Satheesan.
But V.K. Sanoj, the state secretary of the DYFI - Youth wing of the CPI-M defended the police act, saying that just because the money was not recovered doesn’t mean that cash was not there.