Latest news with #JyotiMalhotra
Mint
7 days ago
- Politics
- 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.
India.com
08-07-2025
- India.com
Pak Spy in Bardhaman: জ্যোতি মালহোত্রার মতই ২ পাক গুপ্তচর গ্রেফতার বর্ধমান থেকে!
Videos Pak Spy in Bardhaman: জ্যোতি মালহোত্রার মতই ২ পাক গুপ্তচর গ্রেফতার বর্ধমান থেকে! | Zee 24 Ghanta Pak Spy in Bardhaman: Two Pakistani Spies Arrested from Bardhaman, Just Like Jyoti Malhotra Case! Pak Spy in Bardhaman: Two Pakistani Spies Arrested from Bardhaman, Just Like Jyoti Malhotra Case! | Updated: Jul 09, 2025, 12:00 AM IST Advertisement Pak Spy in Bardhaman: Two Pakistani Spies Arrested from Bardhaman, Just Like Jyoti Malhotra Case!
News18
08-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Dragging My Name': BJP's V Muraleedharan Hits Back At Kerala Govt Over Jyoti Malhotra Video Row
V Muraleedharan reacted to his video with espionage accused Jyoti Malhotra, saying his name is being dragged. BJP demands Kerala Tourism Minister Riyas' resignation. 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 view comments First Published: July 08, 2025, 23:33 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Print
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘Invited as vlogger, not spy'—Congress-led UDF backs Kerala govt amid row over Jyoti Malhotra's visit
Jyoti Malhotra, known for her YouTube channel Travel with Jo, was arrested in Hisar, Haryana, in May 2025 on charges of espionage under the Official Secrets Act. She allegedly passed on sensitive information to the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the aftermath of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. As the BJP unit in Kerala continues to clamour over the issue, demanding a probe into the state visit by the vlogger, the ruling Left Democratic Front has found support from unexpected quarters. The Opposition in the state, the Congress-led United Democratic Front, has come forward to defend the Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government and Riyas. Thiruvananthapuram: Facing political heat over the visit of influencer Jyoti Malhotra to Kerala in 2024-25, the state's Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas clarified Tuesday that she was part of a routine Kerala tourism campaign handled by external agencies in the absence of any oversight by his department or by the state government. Kerala assembly Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, however, said he does not blame the tourism department or Riyas for her visit, asking whether anyone could have known she was a spy when she came to the state in 2024-25, months before her arrest. The Kerala government would not have invited her if it had known that she was a spy, he added. 'When she came, she was invited as a vlogger, not as a spy. Who could have known then that she was a spy?' Satheesan asked. When ThePrint approached the tourism department, it shared a video from a social media account held by Jyoti Malhotra. The video shows her speaking to the BJP leader and former Union minister, V. Muraleedharan, following the inauguration of the second Vande Bharat train in Kerala in September 2023. She visited Kerala to participate in a promotional video during the launch of the train connecting Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram. Then, in 2024 and January 2025, she revisited Kerala. 'How were we supposed to know in January that an issue would arise in May? The central agencies that should inform states about such matters also did not alert us,' said Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Riyas. Calling the controversy created by the BJP unnecessary and driven by its desire to gain political mileage in Kerala, Mohammed Riyas said Jyoti Malhotra might have visited many other states, including those ruled by the BJP, at the time. 'The practice of bringing influencers from outside for tourism promotion is not new. Empanelled agencies manage the entire programme. The minister or department does not interfere with who the agencies invite, or what they do,' Riyas told reporters Tuesday. On Monday, ANI published an RTI reply, revealing Jyoti Malhotra as among 41 influencers who visited Kerala earlier this year as part of a tourism promotion initiative. Soon after, BJP leaders at the state and national levels began using the information to attack the Kerala government. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has accused the Left government of blocking 'Bharat Mata' while giving 'red carpet' treatment to 'Pakistani spies', demanding that Mohammed Riyas resign and face an investigation over the issue. State BJP leader and advocate B. Gopalakrishnan has alleged that there must be some mystery behind Jyoti Malhotra's 'Kerala visit'. 'There is a mystery… Many terrorist outfits have found roots in the state, and the administration has always supported them,' Gopalakrishnan told ThePrint. When asked about the video, Gopalakrishnan added that there was no proof that the BJP called upon Jyoti Malhotra to promote the Vande Bharat train in 2023. Riyas said that he initially felt the matter did not deserve a response, but changed his mind as it triggered 'unnecessary discussions and comments by some senior political leaders'. 'For them, it might suit their political agenda, but for society, it creates an unnecessary perception about Kerala's tourism sector,' he said. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Congress alleges Centre & CPIM 'compromise' as RA Chandrasekhar takes charge as Kerala DGP
Hans India
08-07-2025
- Politics
- 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.
