Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader V. Muraleedharan accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of attempting to link him maliciously to popular YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on espionage charges by the Haryana police in May.

The BJP leadership, which had accused the State Tourism department of hiring Ms. Malhotra to promote holiday destinations in Kerala, appeared to find itself in a sticky spot after a video of the social media influencer interviewing Mr. Muraleedharan on board a Vande Bharat train in 2024 appeared on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] media handles on Tuesday. 

The videos, which went viral, surfaced shortly after BJP leaders demanded the resignation of the Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, on the grounds of hiring a “Pakistani spy” under the “pretext” of promoting Kerala’s holiday destinations.

Former BJP State president K. Surendran had accused the LDF of rolling out the red carpet for an alleged spy while frowning upon the use of the image of Bharat Mata as a symbol of national unity.

Mr. Muraleedharan stated that the LDF wanted to extricate itself from the controversy concerning the enlistment of a “Pakistani operative” for the State’s tourism promotion. He said the LDF went on the backfoot after documents revealed that the government had accorded the YouTuber the welcome befitting a State guest and also public funds for her services.

He said the YouTuber had interviewed him impromptu during the maiden journey of Vande Bharat trains in Kerala. “Opposition and ruling front leaders were with me, he said.

Mr. Muraleedharan noted that the Railways had extended no formal invitation to Ms Malhotra to promote Vande Bharath travel, unlike the State Tourism department. He demanded that the government owed the public an explanation, and the BJP was on the moral and political high ground.

Later, Mr. Riyas countered the accusation, stating that the government had sought her services in good faith and the administration could not have anticipated that the YouTuber would get entangled in an espionage case.

On Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that the government was not at fault. He said prima facie the Tourism department had hired the influencer in good faith.