The Chelannur unit of the Congress party’s youth wing has recently been embroiled in significant controversy due to accusations of embezzlement. The allegations pertain to funds collected for relief efforts following the Wayanad landslide.
According to reports, Ajal Divanandan, the President of the Youth Congress for the Chelannur constituency, has complained with Rahul Mamkootathil, the IYC State President, alleging that two Youth Congress members misappropriated the relief funds.
In the complaint, Divanandan accuses the Chelannur unit’s Vice President Aswin Edavalath and fellow worker Anas of raising funds in the name of KSU State Secretary Sanuj Kuruvatur and then misappropriating those funds. He also claims that these individuals did not participate in the fundraising activities in Chelannur and that their actions have obstructed any further fundraising efforts. Divanandan has called for disciplinary action against the accused.
Donations collected for the Wayanad Tragedy by Youth Congress Kozhikode have been shamelessly diverted and spent by their Vice President.#Congress not only stains its hands with corruption but now stoops to new lows by exploiting a disaster for their selfish gains. This is a… pic.twitter.com/IQMddXNLPv
— Vishnu Vardhan Reddy (@SVishnuReddy) August 12, 2024
In response, Aswin Edavalath stated that he would file a counter-complaint with the state leadership, alleging that the accusations are unfounded and part of internal conflicts within the Youth Congress. He has pledged to resign from public activities if the allegations are true.
Following the backlash over the embezzlement allegations, the Chelannur unit has issued a clarification denying wrongdoing. The constituency president, who initially reported the scam, has since retracted his complaint, calling it false after it was leaked to the media, intensifying the controversy. The leadership of the Chelannur unit and the Youth Congress district leadership have denied that any such complaint was filed. In contrast, the state leadership of the Youth wing has claimed they have not received any complaints regarding the fund collection from Chelannur.
On 30 July 2024, a devastating landslide struck the Wayanad district due to severe rainfall, resulting in 229 deaths and leaving over 130 people missing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the affected areas, promising full support from the Central government for relief and rehabilitation efforts. During his visit, he conducted an aerial survey of the disaster-stricken regions, accompanied by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
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