Anu Malhotra's 'Shamans of the Himalayas'
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Mint
10-07-2025
- Mint
New video of ‘spy' Jyoti Malhotra with BJP's Muraleedharan on Vande Bharat fuels controversy: What we know so far
The Left government in Kerala got embroiled in a controversy after an RTI reportedly revealed that accused "Pakistani spy" Jyoti Malhotra was among 41 social media influencers enlisted by the state tourism department to promote state tourism. Later, a purported video showed Jyoti interacting with former Union Minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan. Jyoti Malhotra was arrested on May 16, a few days after Operation Sindoor, on suspicion of espionage. She is a resident of Haryana's Hisar. Police alleged that Jyoti "was in Pakistan before the Pahalgam attack, and the investigation is on to establish linkages, if there are any." It was claimed that she used to go to Pakistan, 'like on sponsored trips.' The RTI reportedly revealed that Jyoti Malhotra was invited by the Kerala Tourism for the campaign to promote tourism in the state. According to Mathrubhumi, a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act revealed that the Kerala government funded the trip of 41 influencers chosen to promote Kerala as a global tourist destination. Jyoti Malhotra was among these 41 influencers. The state government reportedly paid for their travel, accommodation and food. It roped in a private agency to help them with shooting videos during their stay. After RTI made such revelations, a video surfaced on social media showing Jyoti Malhotra with BJP leader Muraleedharan during the inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram in September 2023, news agency PTI reported. Mint could not independently verify the video. The controversial YouTuber, who was invited by the Indian Railways, could be seen travelling along with invited guests, including BJP leader and the then Union Minister V. Muraleedharan and the then BJP State president K. Surendran. 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. Following such news reports, Muraleedharan claimed that his name was being dragged into the issue by the state government to escape from the controversy. He alleged that the state government was on the defensive ever since information emerged that the Tourism department sponsored Malhotra's visit to Kerala. According to PTI, the BJP leader said that many people took his response during the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat train and one of them was Malhotra, but he was not the one who invited her to the state. He also questioned what procedure was followed by the state when it brought the social media influencer. Some BJP leaders, including spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, cited an RTI reply to claim that Malhotra had visited Kerala on an invite of the state government. "So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak spies are given red carpet by the Left," Poonawalla had said. The Communist Party of India said it "strongly condemns the BJP's attempt to drag the Kerala government into the Jyoti Malhotra espionage case to cover up its own grave failures on national security." CPI MP Sandosh Kumar said it was outrageous to suggest that a state government was responsible for a YouTuber's travel to Pakistan when passport issuance, visa clearance, and intelligence monitoring are all under the control of the Union government. Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohammed Riyas, who had recently brushed aside the allegation as "worthless propaganda", reiterated on Tuesday 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," Riyas claimed. Under fire over the participation of alleged spy Jyoti Malhotra in a Tourism department event, the LDF government on Tuesday received support from the most unexpected quarters, with the opposition Congress. 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 was quoted by PTI as saying.
Hans India
08-07-2025
- Hans India
Video of Kerala BJP leaders with Jyoti Malhotra surfaces amid espionage row
Thiruvananthapuram: A video showing BJP leaders in Kerala with YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra currently under arrest in an espionage case -- has surfaced. The video surfaced just days after BJP leaders criticised the Kerala government for hosting Malhotra under its influencer outreach campaign. The video dates back to 2023, during the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. In it, Malhotra is seen engaging in a promotional interaction with then Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, asking him about the significance of the new high-speed train. Seated beside Muraleedharan is then Kerala BJP President K. Surendran. Malhotra was one of 41 influencers invited by Kerala Tourism, with her travel and accommodation arranged by a private agency contracted by the department. This development comes at a time when BJP leaders had launched a strong attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI(M) government over revelations that Malhotra's Kerala visit -- including travel, accommodation, food, and filming -- was fully sponsored by a private agency contracted by the state's Tourism Department. Following her arrest in an espionage case, BJP leaders -- including senior leader Prakash Javadekar -- slammed the state government, demanding an explanation for 'hosting a tainted individual.' "The Kerala government must explain how such a serious lapse occurred. They cannot simply brush this aside," Javadekar had said. In response, the CPI(M) on Monday condemned the BJP's attempts to politicise the issue, accusing the party of trying to deflect attention from its own failures on national security. Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, who also happens to be Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's son-in-law, had come under fire from BJP leaders over the matter. However, with the emergence of the video, both sides seek to distance themselves from any perceived association with the accused. At the time when Jyoti Malhotra was invited to Kerala to promote tourism, there were no known allegations against her and she was considered a regular social media influencer. She was there in her capacity as a content creator.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- The Hindu
Controversial YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra invited for promotion of Vande Bharat, seen travelling along with BJP leaders in Kerala
After Kerala Tourism courted a controversy over roping in YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on May 16 by the Haryana Police on charges of spying for Pakistan, which invited sharp criticism from BJP national leaders, a video accessed by The Hindu reveals that the same YouTuber was invited by the Indian Railways when the second Vande Bharat was introduced in Kerala and she travelled along with invited guests, including BJP leader and the then Union Minister V. Muraleedharan and the then BJP State president K. Surendran. Soon after the itinerary of Ms. Malhotra on the invitation of Kerala Tourism came out, it spiralled into a political controversy with BJP leaders seeking the resignation of Kerala's Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas. BJP charge Seeking the ouster of Mr. Riyas and an investigation into the incident, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Jai Hind posted on X on Monday that 'RTI reveals Pakistani spy Jyoti Malhotra visited Kerala on Left government invite and was State guest in a sense courtesy Tourism Department. So Bharat Mata is blocked and Pak spies are given red carpet by Left? Tourism Minister Mohammad Riyas is son-in-law of (CM Pinarayi) Vijayan. He should be sacked and investigated,' the post said. In Kerala, Mr. Surendran said Ms. Malhotra's Kannur trip was sponsored by Kerala Tourism, run by son-in-law of Mr. Vijayan. He also wondered why Kerala was rolling out the red carpet for a Pakistan-linked spy. Minister's stand However, soon after the video of Ms. Malhotra's trip with the BJP leaders came out, the office of Mr. Riyas maintained that she was not charged with any cases during the time of her Vande Bharat trip in Kerala in 2024, but the outcry created by the BJP leaders revealed their double standards on the issue. In the video shared by Ms. Malhotra on her social media platform, she is seen interacting with the former Union Minister during the trip, although the face of Mr. Surendran was only partially visible in the video. 28,000 likes The video eulogising the Vande Bharat was liked by a whopping 28,000 viewers. Railway sources in Kerala maintained that she was part of the national media delegation invited by the Railway Board and she began her journey from Kasaragod. She was invited considering the reach of her videos and there was no case against her when she was invited. Ms. Malhotra also toured around for six days in January on an invitation extended by Kerala Tourism as part of promoting Kerala Tourism.
