T’puram: Former devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on Thursday alleged that the complaint filed against him by Unnikrishnan Potti, the first accused in the Sabarimala gold scam, was part of a conspiracy aimed at tarnishing his image ahead of the elections. Dismissing the allegations of financial conspiracy as baseless, Surendran said the timing of the complaint was suspicious. Potti, in a complaint submitted to the state police, alleged that Surendran conspired to implicate him in a case. He claimed that Surendran worked with a woman named Pratibha, who earlier filed a land fraud complaint against Potti. According to Potti, Surendran asked him to provide financial assistance to Pratibha. Responding to the allegations, Surendran said he was not aware of who Pratibha was. He added that though he later learned that she was from his constituency, he he never interfered in anyone’s financial matters. Surendran also said that he did not visit any police station in the past decade except during the inauguration of the Thumba police station. He added that he generally does not get involved in financial disputes and that such issues are usually handled by party workers if they arise. Alleging that the complaint was politically motivated, Surendran said it surfaced at a time when his name was being considered as a candidate in the upcoming elections. He claimed that the complaint was an attempt by his political opponents to damage his credibility, especially when some surveys indicated an advantage for the Left front. Surendran further alleged that the complaint was part of a conspiracy orchestrated by associates of Potti. He said he understood the circumstances behind the complaint after receiving a copy of it and added that he would reveal the names of those involved at an appropriate time. The complaint against Surendran surfaced shortly after Potti was granted bail. In his petition, Potti alleged that Surendran played a role in orchestrating the complaint filed against him by Pratibha. Potti claimed that he purchased land belonging to Pratibha and later leased it to another person after obtaining permission to run a school on the property. According to him, the lease was transferred when rent payments were defaulted. He also alleged that Surendran acted as a mediator during certain discussions held at the Thumba police station regarding Pratibha’s financial difficulties. Potti further claimed that although Surendran asked him to provide financial assistance to Pratibha, he did not comply with the request.
