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

A day after senior BJP leader Sobha Surendran dropped a bombshell, claiming that CPI(M) central committee member and Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener E P Jayarajan held discussions to join the BJP and withdrew the decision fearing a threat from his party, senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said labelled it as “bogus news”.

Javadekar, the central BJP leader in charge of Kerala, hit out at state Congress president K Sudhakaran who, on Friday, targeted the Left over Jayarajan’s “plans” to jump ship. “It is bogus news. How does Sudhakaran know who I meet or talk to?” Javadekar told The Indian Express.

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 thathe 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