Tourism minister not to blame for inviting Jyoti Malhotra to Kerala: UDF

The Congress-led UDF opposition on Tuesday said neither the Tourism Department nor the minister heading it can be blamed for inviting social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, suspected of spying for Pakistan, to the state for promoting its tourism sector.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said had the government known she was a spy, it would not have invited her to the state.

"No one knew she was carrying out espionage when she was here. So, what can be done about that? We are a responsible opposition, we do not blame the government unnecessarily," he said.

 

At the same time, he also said that had CPI(M) been in the opposition, it would have demanded the resignation of the Tourism Minister over the issue.

The opposition leader was replying to reporters' queries regarding the state government inviting Malhotra to Kerala for promoting its tourism.

The issue assumes importance as BJP leader K Surendran recently questioned why "a Pak-linked spy's trip" was sponsored by Kerala Tourism.

Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas, who had recently brushed aside the allegation as "worthless propaganda", on Tuesday reiterated that the government was not aware of what Malhotra was involved in when she was invited to the state. 

He said that the government also did not receive any adverse information about her from any of the agencies.

"She went to states ruled by various political parties, including the BJP. Now, some BJP leaders want a probe into the matter. The intention behind all this is only to create unnecessary controversy," he said.

Meanwhile, amidst the raging row, a purported video of Malhotra interacting with the then Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, went viral on social media.

Some Malayalam news channels also aired the same video of her interviewing Muraleedharan during the inaugural run of the orange-coloured Vande Bharat Express from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram in September 2023.

In the video, the BJP leader can be seen telling her, in English and Malayalam, how the train would benefit the people of the state.

Neither Muraleedharan nor the BJP has responded to the development.

Malhotra was arrested in May this year, after the Pahalgam terror attack, on suspicion of spying for Pakistan.