Thiruvananthapuram, July 7 (IANS) The Communist Party of India ( CPI) has strongly condemned the BJP's attempt to drag the Kerala government into the Jyoti Malhotra espionage case to cover up its own grave failures on national security.
In a statement issued on Monday, CPI Rajya Sabha member P. Sandosh Kumar said it is outrageous to suggest that a state government is responsible for a YouTuber's travel to Pakistan when passport issuance, visa clearance, and intelligence monitoring are all under the control of the Union Government.
"Did the Kerala government approve her visits to Pakistan? Did it place her in contact with ISI handlers in Delhi? This is a desperate and politically motivated deflection," he pointed out.
Sandosh Kumar pointed out the BJP's long list of embarrassments involving its own members linked to espionage and terrorism -- Dhruv Saxena from its IT Cell in Bhopal, Bajrang Dal's Balram Singh, LeT terrorist Talib Shah who was appointed BJP Minority Morcha IT head, and former BJP leader Tariq Mir arrested for arms supply to militants.
Even DSP Davinder Singh, awarded the President's Medal, was caught escorting Hizbul terrorists and later linked to Pakistani handlers, he said.
"This is the BJP's real national security record," said the CPI MP.
The Pahalgam terror attack, in which innocent tourists were killed, has seen no arrests even weeks later. Instead of taking responsibility, the BJP is now targeting Kerala over a routine tourism event Malhotra once attended, despite no link between that and her ISI recruitment, MP Sandosh Kumar said.
The Centre's own agencies failed to detect multiple Pakistan trips and foreign funding, all under their direct jurisdiction, he added.
The CPI reiterates that national security is a central subject.
"The BJP cannot wash its hands of repeated intelligence lapses and the growing list of individuals with links to espionage and terror from within its fold," the CPI leader said.
"The people of India deserve accountability, not scapegoating and political vendetta," he said.
The documents obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act confirmed that her travel, accommodation, food, and even filming arrangements were handled by a private agency that was given a contract by the Kerala Tourism Department.
She was among 41 influencers selected to promote Kerala as a global tourist destination. Her entire trip across Kerala was facilitated and funded by the state’s Tourism Department under an official influencer outreach initiative.
Veteran BJP leader Prakash Javadekar slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan government for having played host to such a tainted person.
“The Kerala government has to come out with a proper explanation on how this grave thing occurred, and they cannot get away,” said Javadekar.
Following the controversy, Kerala’s Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas has defended the decision to bring Malhotra to the state and said the state government does not facilitate espionage and the media must understand how government systems work, as one could have foreseen this.
--IANS
sg/skp
