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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala unit strongly refuted claims linking the party to the alleged suicide of Anand K Thampi, asserting that he was neither a "BJP worker nor a party candidate," and accused Opposition leaders of deliberately politicising the incident to target the party ahead of the upcoming local body elections.
BJP Kerala General Secretary S Suresh, on Sunday, told ANI that attempts by the CPI(M) and Congress to portray the death as connected to the BJP were "misleading" and "politically motivated." He said, "Unfortunately, the CPM and Congress leaders are using this as a political tool to fight against us. Actually, he was not a BJP worker. He was not on our candidates' list. Moreover, he joined Shiv Sena (UBT). They are not with the NDA but with the INDI alliance." Appealing to rival political fronts to maintain restraint, Suresh further said, "I appeal to the politicians in LDF and UDF to not misuse a youngster's death for political malpractices." The clarification came after reports emerged that a resident of Thrikkannapuram ward under the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation died by suicide, reportedly after being denied a BJP ticket for the upcoming local body elections. Police said the party had already finalised its candidate for the ward, and the individual's name was not included. Earlier on Sunday, Union Minister and BJP MP Suresh Gopi expressed grief over the incident but said the party could not be held responsible. Calling it "a very unfortunate incident," Gopi said the matter must be resolved at the local level. "The party cannot be held responsible for this. It has to be locally settled," he told ANI. Explaining the party's approach to candidate selection, he urged workers to prioritise organisational strength over personal aspirations. "When it comes to candidature, the party is only looking at the positive possibilities... Workers should be more composed... They need to work toward the party's victory so they can be players, in whatever dispensing capacity the elected person has. That's how they can gain glory. That is all I can tell them, but the pain is theirs. Any message or verbal solace will not be effective during such moments," the BJP MP said. Meanwhile, a purported WhatsApp message allegedly sent by the deceased to his friends shortly before his death has surfaced, in which he levelled serious accusations against BJP leaders. In the message, Anand alleged that certain BJP leaders were responsible for denying him the party ticket. He also claimed that some BJP and RSS leaders maintained links with the sand mafia. Police have recovered the message and are verifying its authenticity as part of the ongoing investigation. Further probe into the circumstances surrounding the death is underway. (ANI)
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