Midnight hotel raid in Palakkad ahead of bypoll triggers row

Thiruvananthapuram: Police raided a hotel in Palakkad at midnight where leaders of all political parties were staying, ahead of the assembly byelection in the constituency on November 20, triggering a political slugfest, The Indian Express reported.

The Congress on Wednesday took to streets protesting against the midnight raid alongside alleging that there was a CPI (M)-BJP conspiracy behind it.

The raid, ostensibly meant to recover black money, stemmed from a controversy surrounding an earlier highway robbery that had taken place at Kodakara town of Thrissur district ahead of the 2021 state elections.

The incident gathered steam and made the headlines after a former BJP worker claimed that the money was meant for the party.

The CPI(M) and Congress have accused each other of having a deal with the BJP.

Nevertheless, the Congress won the seat in the last three times, the saffron party remains as the frontrunner with the off-chance of grabbing the seat in the by election.

Accusing the CPI(M) and the BJP of scripting the police action, Congress president K Sudhakaran said that ‘The police insulted Congress leaders Bindu Krishna and Shanimol Usman by entering their rooms without women officials’.

K Sudhakaran, accusing the CPI(M) and the BJP of having black money, added that both parties are in dock having links to the robbery of the BJP’s election fund in 2021.

‘This raid was meant to save face. People of Palakkad will give a fitting reply,” he reportedly said.

Meanwhile, Palakkad district police superintendent R Anand stated that police acted on information regarding illegal money kept in a hotel in the district.

The officer added that the police team searched 12 rooms where leaders of all three parties (Congress, CPI(M) and BJP) were staying, alongside saying that police followed all procedures.

‘In one room, where women were staying, the occupants sought the presence of a woman police officer for search and we ensured that too,’ R Anand reportedly said.

Saying that the raid did not yield anything, the officer further said that tip-off about illegal money did not refer to any particular political party.

Senior CPI(M) leader and LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan said the Congress leaders resisted the raid because the party has something hide, adding that the leaders should have cooperated with the police.

The BJP state president K Surendran alleged that the Congress pumped huge amounts of black money in the constituency, adding that the party did the same in the last elections too.

‘The police raid was a farce. Black money was brought to the hotel in a trolley bag, and police created a situation to keep the money safely in the hotel,’ he was quoted as saying.