'Dragging My Name': BJP's V Muraleedharan Hits Back At Kerala Govt Over Jyoti Malhotra Video Row
Former MoS and BJP leader V Muraleedharan reacted to his video with espionage accused vlogger Jyoti Malhotra. Hitting back at the state government, Muraleedharan said 'his name is being dragged'. Kerala's politics over Malhotra's participation in the Vande Bharat inaugural journey has heated up and her video with the V Muraleedharan sparked controversy.
Reacting to the video, former Union minister said, 'Many people took my response during the inaugural run of Vande Bharat. This vlogger was only one among them. They did not come on his invitation."
Jyoti Malhotra was arrested in May this year, after the Pahalgam terror attack, on suspicion of spying for Pakistan.
As the controversy ignited, BJP leaders sought the resignation of Kerala's Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas. 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 Mohamed Riyas is son-in-law of (CM Pinarayi) Vijayan. He should be sacked and investigated," the post reads.
As per an RTI document, Jyoti had come to Kerala as part of the promotion of the Tourism Department. She was on the list of social media influencers used by the Tourism Department for its promotion. It is clear that Jyoti Malhotra travelled to Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Munnar at the expense of the Tourism Department
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First Published:
July 08, 2025, 23:33 IST
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