In the eye of the storm over allegations of opaque election funding, Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha MP Anto Antony on Monday warned of legal action against Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) state committee member KP Udayabhan for making false allegations.
In a video statement, Mr. Antony said that Mr. Udayabhan’s claim that he had collected the money deposited by Sabarimala Tantri’s superiors from Nedumparambil Credit Syndicate, owned by NM Raju, after the firm’s failure, was proved to be blatantly false.
“Fabric Accusation”
“After the original charge crumbled, Mr. Udayabhanu has now decided to repeat the fresh charges leveled by Mr. Raju, who was earlier jailed in connection with the deposit fraud case,” the MP said. Mr. Antony pointed out that Mr. Raju is affiliated with the constituent party Left Democratic Front (LDF) and dismissed as fabricated the claim that he had borrowed ₹2 crore during the 2019 assembly elections.
Mr. Antony called on both Mr. Udayabhanu and Mr. Raja to produce documentary evidence to substantiate this claim. He also warned Health Minister Veena George that several more facts would emerge and asked her to wait before reacting further.
Earlier, Mr. Antony acknowledged the loan from Mr. Raju to fund his election campaign and said the amount was repaid within two months. However, he refused to disclose the exact amount he received, fueling speculation. Mr. Raju, on his part, insists that the MP received the money without documentation and is yet to repay the amount.
Published – 09 Feb 2026 20:23 IST
