With Local Body Elections Nearing, BJP Hit by Councillor’s Suicide in Corporation

Thiruvananthapuram: With the local body elections approaching, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala is grappling with yet another internal crisis. The suicide of Thirumala ward councillor Anil Kumar, who was also an office bearer of the Valiyashala Farm Tour Cooperative Society, has triggered sharp political controversies and exposed deep fissures within the party.

Anil Kumar, who took his life at the BJP ward committee office in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, left a suicide note naming several senior BJP leaders. He alleged that these leaders had taken large loans from the cooperative society but refused to repay. When the Cooperative Department uncovered irregularities and initiated action, Anil reportedly turned to the state leadership for help. Instead of protecting him, party leaders abandoned him, which, according to BJP workers themselves, pushed him to take the extreme step.

Party workers allege that several BJP leaders borrowed money in the name of elections and party programmes. Even leaders who earlier held district responsibilities defaulted. One BJP leader from Thirumala is said to have embezzled Rs 35 lakh. Many loans were benami transactions given on leaders’ recommendations, with funds ultimately pocketed by the leaders themselves. With repayments stalled, the cooperative society collapsed, unable to return investors’ deposits. Relatives and colleagues insist that Anil Kumar was made the scapegoat, leaving him with no option but suicide.

The CPI M has demanded a comprehensive probe, accusing BJP leaders of attempting to shift blame onto the CPI M and the police. CPI M district secretary Adv. V Joy MLA announced protest demonstrations on Monday(September 22), stressing that Anil Kumar’s suicide note mentioned only the BJP, not CPI M or the police. “The BJP leadership cannot escape responsibility for this death,” he asserted.

The controversy deepened when BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar reacted angrily to media questions. During an interaction with Kairali News, he threatened to “deal with them” and insulted a woman journalist, telling her, “If you’re from Kairali, just stand there, don’t ask questions” roughly translate to Malayalam as ‘Kairali aanel nee avide ninnal mathi. Nee chodikkanda'. His response further fuelled criticism that BJP leadership is trying to suppress accountability.

This is not the first time the Kerala BJP has faced internal strife. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a businessman from Karnataka, was appointed as state president to resolve factionalism. However, critics say he has instead turned the party into a corporate -style management system, sidelining senior leaders. His inability to contain internal fights has forced national leadership to intervene repeatedly.

In July, another controversy erupted when BJP councillors, including Punnakkamugal ward councillor P V Manju, were accused of misusing funds meant for sanitation workers in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The latest crisis over Anil Kumar’s suicide has further deepened mistrust among party workers and widened rifts in the state unit.