The latest revelations by the prime accused in the case, Dharmarajan, cannot but cause utmost concern in the Congress camp although the party, both at the Centre and in the state, is putting up a brave front.

Political experts say Dharmarajan’s revelations and the change in the BJP national leadership’s stand on the issue constitute a setback for senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P J Kurien.

Dharmarajan told a private TV channel on Monday that it was in his car that Kurien drove to the Kumali guest house on February 19, 1996. Although he had told the police investigation team of Kurien’s ‘involvement’, the team leader Sibi Mathews had asked him not to name Kurien, Dharmarajan told the TV channel. He also claimed to have evidence to prove it.

Kurien was quick to say that Dharmarajan’s statement had no face value as “it is the settled position of the Supreme Court that the statements made by a convict have no evidence value.” The Court, Kurien, added, had given the accused a chance to make a statement in person, but Dharmarajan did not say then what he is saying now. You know the reason behind his statement now, Kurien told newspersons.

Legal experts concede that Kurien has a point. But they also say that Kurien should follow up his statement with a defamation case against Dharmarajan, against whom a fresh arrest warrant has been issued by the special court in Kottayam. The Kerala Government has also constituted a special police squad to arrest Dharmarajan.

The U-turn executed by the national leadership of the BJP is also not good news for Kurien either. BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi and party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had earlier said that there was no need for Kurien to resign as the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson unless there is an adverse verdict from court.

However, yielding to pressure from the Kerala BJP leaders, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said Kurien should resign on moral grounds now. “New revelations in the Suryanelli case have made PJ Kurien’s position as Deput Chairperson of Rajya Sabha untenable,” Javadekar said in a statement on Tuesday.

Now that the national leadership of the BJP has changed its stand, the party’s Kerala unit will plunge into the campaign against Kurien with renewed vigour. The movement is expected to gather momentum in the days to come with the left parties already in the thick of the anti-Kurien agitation.

The BJP’s ‘volte-face’ is also bound to influence the final decision of the Congress high command in the issue. Interestingly, Congress spokesman P C Chacko went back on his statement that the high command will take an appropriate decision on the Kurien issue before the start of the Parliament session. Reversing his statement, which he said was his personal opinion, Chacko said that the party is solidly behind Kurien now.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Government has received ‘expected’ legal advice from director-general of prosecution T Asaf Ali that there have been no fresh revelations in the case warranting a reinvestigation. The DGP's advice totally disregards the host of new developments including the latest SC verdict setting aside the Kerala High Court's acquittal of all the 35 accused in the case except the prime accused. Also, the ordinance signed into law by President Pranab Mukherjee says that the statement of the rape victim alone is enough to warrant reinvestigation in a case. The rape victim has also written to the Kerala Chief Minister seeking reinvestigation. The DGP has ignored all this to make out a case that suits the UDF Government's purpose.

The Left Democratic Front and the BJP have countered the legal advice saying that the DGP’s advice was not surprising as he is a former member of the KPCC executive.

But what must worry the Oomen Chandy-led UDF Government is the fact that the campaign against Kurien is showing no signs of flagging. In fact, the Opposition has received fresh ammunition in the form of DGP’s legal advice and fresh revelations by the prime accused in the case. Retired High Court judge R Basant has also ‘contributed his mite’ to the Opposition’s ammunition with his comments about the Suryanelli rape victim. The retired judge said the girl was deviant right from her childhood days, and that she was used for child prostitution; and that it is not rape though it was immoral! A wave of anger is sweeping the state over Basant’s remarks. The LDF, BJP and various women’s organisations have signalled their intent to intensify their campaign against the judge, who was one of the two judges who gave the judgment in the Suryanelli case in January 2005. They had acquitted all the 35 accused in the case except the prime accused Dharmarajan. (IPA Service)