Prakash Javadekar on meeting Kerala CPM leader Jayarajan: ‘We may have met … Is it a crime?’

Though Sobha Surendran, the BJP candidate from Alappuzha, did not name Javadekar, she said on Thursday that Jayarajan had held talks with the BJP. A few days earlier, she claimed that discussions with the CPI(M) leader were held in Delhi. “Did Sobha say I met Jayarajan? How does Sobha know who I meet or talk to?” Javadekar said.

Jayarajan has dismissed Surendran’s claims as “utter lies” but admitted that he met Javadekar in Thiruvananthapuram. “I met him at my son’s flat. Javadekar came to the flat realising that I was there. We did not discuss politics. I wanted to go for a meeting and before leaving the flat, I told my son to give tea to Javadekar. I did not inform the party about this meeting,” he said.

Asked about Surendran’s allegation that the meeting happened over tea at the home of the LDF convener’s son, Javadekar said, “We may have met in his constituency, the airport, or in Parliament. I do meet a lot of people. I may have shared a meal with Shashi Tharoor or other political leaders. Is it a crime? What’s wrong with it?”

The senior BJP leader added, “Sudhakaran should be talking about himself. Why should he make a statement on others?”

The controversy has embarrassed the CPI(M) that targeted the Congress throughout the campaign over “soft Hindutva” and the exodus of its leaders to the BJP. “Jayarajan should have been vigilant before getting in touch with such people … In the past also, Jayarajan failed to be careful on such occasions. He should have avoided meeting with Javadekar in the presence of a person of suspicious character (self-styled power broker T G Nandakumar),” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after casting his vote in Kannur on Friday.

Jayarajan is said to have been unhappy after being overlooked for the position of CPI(M) state secretary after the death of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. The post is currently held by M V Govindan “Master” who is junior to Jayarajan. Last year, he faced criticism for keeping away from party functions.

— With inputs from Shaju Philip