Video of Kerala BJP leaders with Jyoti Malhotra surfaces amid espionage row
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.
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