New video of ‘spy' Jyoti Malhotra with BJP's Muraleedharan on Vande Bharat fuels controversy: What we know so far

Mint

3 days ago

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.