Jayarajan rebuts resort funding allegations involving wife Indira

CPM central committee member E P Jayarajan has rejected allegations that his wife, P K Indira, received money from businessman Sasidharan Kartha for investment in Vaidekam Ayurveda Healing Village, while accusing his nephew’s wife of financial misconduct at the Kannur resort.

The controversy took another turn on Saturday when Jayarajan’s nephew, E P Shyamjith, disowned a Facebook post carrying the allegations, saying he suspected that his account had been hacked and misused. The post was withdrawn after attracting attention.

Jayarajan maintained that neither he nor his wife had engaged in financial transactions with Kartha, managing director of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited. He also denied holding shares or having any personal financial stake in the resort, although he acknowledged supporting the venture during its establishment.

He said Indira’s investment came from money she received upon retirement from service. Details of the company’s directors and shareholders were publicly available, he added, disputing claims about unusually large investments in the enterprise.

The original Facebook post alleged that funds obtained from Kartha had been channelled into the resort through Indira. It also named several purported investors and alleged that substantial sums of unaccounted money had entered the business. None of those allegations has been independently established.

An image of a notebook page, described in the post as bearing Jayarajan’s handwriting, was circulated alongside the accusations. Its authorship and the significance of the entries have not been independently verified. Jayarajan specifically disputed the assertion that any individual had invested Rs 9 crore in the resort.

Shyamjith subsequently said he had not deliberately published the material and had no connection with its allegations. He described Jayarajan as a valued comrade and said he intended to pursue legal action over the suspected misuse of his Facebook account.

He said he was visiting Sabarimala when questions about the post began reaching him and would explain the circumstances further after returning. His account of an alleged hacking has not been independently confirmed.

Jayarajan, meanwhile, linked the controversy to disciplinary action against Shyamjith’s wife, Deepa, who had worked in the resort’s accounts department. He alleged that she had prepared false vouchers, claimed unauthorised payments and misused her position within the company.

According to Jayarajan, Deepa was appointed on his recommendation because of the family relationship. He alleged that she drew as much as Rs 60,000 in salary despite an agreed monthly payment of Rs 35,000, and that discrepancies came to light during scrutiny of the resort’s finances.

He said the company had initially been reluctant to act because of her relationship with his family, but that the alleged irregularities ultimately resulted in suspension and removal. These assertions remain allegations rather than findings established by a court.

A police case was registered at Taliparamba following a complaint from the resort management alleging financial fraud involving Deepa. The complaint referred to fabricated vouchers and the alleged personal use of electronic equipment purchased for the establishment. The police investigation will determine whether the accusations can be substantiated.

Jayarajan suggested that the allegations against his wife were motivated by resentment over the action taken against Deepa. That explanation is disputed territory, particularly given Shyamjith’s subsequent denial that he authored the original post.

The CPI(M) leader also indicated that he would pursue legal remedies against what he characterised as false allegations. His response sought to separate his political position from the resort’s finances while acknowledging that family members had participated in the enterprise.

Vaidekam, situated at Morazha in Kannur district, has previously drawn political attention because of investments associated with Jayarajan’s family. The fresh dispute centres on the source of those investments and the allegations arising from the resort’s internal financial records.

The withdrawn post had also contained a statement expressing fear for Shyamjith’s life and assigning responsibility to named individuals if anything happened to him. Shyamjith’s later denial of authorship leaves the origin of that statement unresolved.