The state BJP’s official spokesperson, BK Shekhar, backs that in his own testimony : “Money collected from the petrol pump scam has been lavishly spent among workers for carrying out anti-party activities....’’

A top state BJP leader told The Indian Express that the Kerala unit had been “allowed’’ by the national leadership to “accept donations’’ in return for allocating petrol pumps. “But we made the mistake of allowing a party caucus to handle that and keep the money themselves, since we did not want to put it in the party’s bank accounts. They didn’t hand it over and the party obviously can’t have any legal recourse’’.

The high-level committee which probed the Lok Sabha poll debacle and allegations of vote transfer in Kerala comprised two state vice-presidents, Mohan Shanker and Manjeri Narayanan, and former state DGP and BJP state human rights cell chief, RPC Nair. The report, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, was being kept under wraps for the last four months — even the state committee members have not been given copies.

The probe was ordered after the party’s Lok Sabha bypoll defeat in Thiruvananthapuram nine months ago—its former state president CK Padmanabhan polled just 37,000 votes while he was expected to get about a lakh.

The report also reveals how BJP votes are traded to both the political fronts in Kerala — the Congress-led UDF and the CPM-led LDF. Senior BJP leader and former Union minister O Rajagopal is quoted saying in the report that the state BJP is now “...demoralised, growth is at a standstill... no new members will join the party.’’

... contd.