Sabu M. Jacob, chief coordinator of the Kitex Group-backed political outfit Twenty20, has justified the donation of ₹25 crore made through electoral bond to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), describing it as a ‘gift’ for coming to his aide during a major crisis.
Speaking during the Vote ‘n’ Talk programme organised by the Ernakulam Press Club in Kochi on April 5, Mr. Jacob said he made the donation voluntarily and that he had given similar donations to all political parties, including ₹30 lakh to the CPI(M). He said he will still give donations to political parties if they come asking and sought to differentiate between his identity “as an industrialist and a politician.”
Mr. Jacob said that at a time when he was being allegedly haunted out of Kerala where “the Kitex Group has been the biggest job provider in the private sector for the last 55 years”, the Telangana government invited him there and provided all facilities to start his company.
Also read: Electoral bonds data | Full list of donors and recipient political parties
Mr. Jacob, however, claimed that the donation was not a case of quid pro quo, reasoning why he would make the donation in 2023 when he had signed the agreement with the government in September 2021.
“It was a gift to a party which came to my assistance when I was in a crisis though they had not demanded it. What is wrong in making such a donation voluntarily from my hard-earned money? However, I challenge anyone to prove that I was given special privilege because of the donation,” Mr. Jacob said.
Mr. Jacob predicted even a victory or at least a high vote share for the Twenty20 candidates in the Ernakulam and Chalakudy constituencies in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He sought to dispel the notion that the votes garnered by Twenty20 will make a dent on the Congress. “In fact, wherever we have contested, it has affected the LDF the most,” he said.
Mr. Jacob claimed that the LDF, the UDF and the NDA had courted him to side with them.
On severing ties with AAP
While declining to comment on the corruption allegations levelled at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) founder and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal leading to his arrest last month, Mr. Jacob said the decision to part ways with the AAP has “proved right” in the wake of the latest developments.
“The AAP is part of the INDIA bloc at the national level. So, what stance they could have taken here in Kerala? Besides, Kejriwal always maintained a clandestine understanding with the Left,” he said.
Twenty20 and AAP was in alliance for a brief while before the former called it off in 2023.
