Thrissur corporation councillor Laly James, alleged that Dr Niji Justin (in photo), had bagged the mayorship after paying money to senior leaders. (Credit: @drnijijustin)
A cash-for-mayorship scandal has rocked the Congress in Kerala, where it has been riding high on the recent local body polls that saw the party-led UDF win a majority of seats across the three-tier spectrum.
As voting for the post of president/chairperson/mayor in local bodies is slated for Friday, four-time councillor in the Thrissur corporation, Laly James, alleged that her fellow councillor in the corporation, Dr Niji Justin, had bagged the mayorship after paying money to senior leaders.
On Thursday, Thrissur district leadership of the Congress had selected Dr Niji, also a vice president of the DCC, for the post of mayor in the corporation, which the party wrested from LDF after a decade.
After the Congress picked the gynaecologist-turned-politician as the mayor of Thrissur, Laly told the media, “The party wants money. I think the party has gone after money. I have no money but only hard work. Her (Niji’s) family is rich. I can only work for the party. I was told that leaders are running with money bags. I don’t know where the money has gone. People are asking me whether this post can be obtained after paying money. I have no money. I hail from a farming family,” she claimed.
“I will vote for Niji. The vote is not for her, but for Congress. I will vote for Congress. If the party takes any disciplinary action, I will teach the leaders what discipline is. I will reveal more about the leaders. I have many things to reveal about the party. Only those who operate behind the curtain know what the criterion (for selecting the mayor) is. I have toiled for the party at the grassroots level,” she said.
DCC Thrissur president Joseph Tajet said the decision was taken after consulting councillors and the party leadership. “She (Laly) had contested four times. Has she given a money box to anyone to get a party ticket? She says she is poor. That shows we have given a seat to a poor person. The party will examine why she said what she did. We have taken the decision as per the procedure.”
Niji, who was elected as the mayor, said, “Only the party leadership has to answer to this allegation. I have been with the party since 1999. Over these years, I have led the Youth Congress at the district and state levels. Apart from party work, I have also been engaged in social work.”
Opposition leader and senior Congress legislator V D Satheesan told the media, “No senior leader should intervene in the election of the mayor. We have a procedure which is binding on all local bodies. More than one person can aspire to become the mayor. If there are complaints, KPCC will look into them.”