Abdullakutty represented Kannur constituency in the Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms from 1999-2009 on a CPM ticket before his expulsion from the party that year. (File photo) Abdullakutty represented Kannur constituency in the Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms from 1999-2009 on a CPM ticket before his expulsion from the party that year. (File photo)

AP Abdullakutty, a former CPM Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, has made a startling claim that the Prakash Karat faction of the party received Rs 100 crores from the BJP in exchange for helping split secular votes in the country. Abdullakutty’s claim, posted on his official Facebook page, was in conjunction with the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Rajasthan.

Abdullakutty, who represented Kannur constituency in the Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms from 1999-2009 on a CPM ticket before his expulsion from the party that year, wrote that the ‘shocking revelations’ he heard from his old comrade friends in Delhi pointed to CPM helping BJP candidates in Rajasthan by splitting votes that would have otherwise gone to the Congress party.

“By fielding just 28 candidates in Rajasthan, the CPM helped split almost 4 lakh secular votes. It was CPM’s presence that helped BJP candidates win in three constituencies. In Pilibanga constituency, BJP’s Dharmendra Kumar defeated the nearest Congress candidate by 278 votes. Here, the CPM candidate got 2659 secular votes. Even though in most of the places, they could not secure their own deposits, they have played a brilliant game where the party is earning crores,” Abdullakutty, who joined the Congress in 2009, claimed.

The Congress leader alleged that Sitaram Yechury, the CPM general secretary, is said to be pondering about discussing the issue within the party.

Abdullakutty, who was expelled from the CPM in 2009 following serious differences with it’s state leadership, subsequently joined the Congress and won a bye-election from Kannur Assembly constituency on a Congress ticket. He repeated his victory from Kannur constituency in 2011 Assembly elections, defeating the nearest CPM candidate. In 2016 however, he was shifted to the Thalassery constituency where he lost to CPM’s AN Shamseer.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd