Responding to self-styled political power broker T.G. Nandakumar’s allegation that he gave ₹10 lakh to Shobha Surendran, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Tuesday admitted to receiving the money in her bank account in connection with a land deal.
Speaking to reporters, Ms. Surendran who is contesting Lok Sabha polls as a National Democratic Alliance candidate in the Alappuzha constituency, said Mr. Nandakumar transferred the money as an advance amount for purchasing eight cents of land from her.
“I decided to sell a property to raise money for the medical treatment of a family member. I told Nandakumar about it and he agreed to purchase the land. He first offered an advance amount of ₹10 lakh in cash but I asked him to transfer the money to my bank account. He later withdrew from the deal. I have not yet sold the land to another person. I will not return the money to Nandakumar, but is ready to hand over the land if he pays the balance amount,” Ms. Surendran said.
