Two days after joining a non-government organisation (NGO) in Palakkad district — main accused in Kerala gold smuggling case — Swapna Suresh on Sunday alleged that her former friend M Sivasankar, a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is behind the latest controversy over her new job assignment. Earlier, the ruling Communist Party of India CPI(M) had said that the NGO was backed by Sangh Parivar, countering which, the BJP had said that a former CPI(M) leader was heading it.
The state SC/ST commission on Sunday filed a case against the NGO alleging that it was misusing funds meant for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe people. Suresh said that she was not aware of the NGO’s background and was grateful to it for giving her an opportunity.
NGO Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) had appointed Suresh as the director of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) to generate resources for the charity outfit working among tribals. Later, Suresh also confirmed this and said she will be relocating to Palakkad to take up the new assignment.
“I feel Sivasankar is behind the latest controversy. Let me take up the job so that I can raise my children, otherwise the whole family will have to commit suicide. This is second life for me and I request everyone to not whip up any more controversies,” she said in the state capital. Sivasankar refused to comment on Suresh’s allegations.
She said some people want to keep her quiet but they can’t take her for a ride any more.
{{/usCountry}}She said some people want to keep her quiet but they can’t take her for a ride any more.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, SC/ST commission chairman S Ajayakumar said, “We have information that the NGO is getting more than ₹300 crore under several schemes of the central government and other sources. It builds houses which are not habitable and we want to check details of its fund utilisation.”
He said he has also written to the National Commission for Schedule Tribes regarding the NGO.
Earlier, HRDS chairman S Krishnakumar, a former union minister, said that Swapna Suresh’s appointment was “illegal and arbitrary”. But the HRDS later clarified that Krishnakumar was not associated with the NGO anymore. It said the organisation was victimised for giving a job to Swapna Suresh.
“Our NGO was founded in 1995 and we have been carrying out many welfare activities among the marginalised. We have built 300 houses in Attapadi, a tribal settlement. We are ready to face any probe,” said project director Biju Krishnan. He said HRDS was aware of Suresh’s past and, of the cases against her but she can’t be denied an opportunity to bring up her two children. “She is only an accused now and before the final verdict, she can’t be hounded and crucified like this,” he said.
She was arrested in 2020 when she was working as a consultant with the government-owned Space Park in connection with gold smuggling through the UAE consulate. She was in jail for 16 months but later obtained bail in November. After her bail, she maintained a low profile for some time but after M Sivasankar’s autobiography came out in which he criticised her for trapping him in smuggling case, she opened up. She accused Sivasankar, former principal secretary to the CM, of exploiting and betraying her. She also alleged that he was aware of all her activities since 2017.
BLURB Suresh was arrested in 2020 when she was working as a consultant with the government-owned Space Park in connection with gold smuggling through the UAE consulate