New Delhi [India], November 16 : Union Minister and BJP MP Suresh Gopi on Sunday expressed grief over the alleged suicide of an RSS worker in Kerala, who reportedly took the extreme step after being denied a BJP ticket for the upcoming local body elections and called it "a very unfortunate incident."
"Gopi said the matter must be resolved at the local level. The party cannot be held responsible for this. It has to be locally settled," he told ANI.
"When it comes to candidature, the party is only looking at the positive possibilities... Workers should be more composed... They need to work toward the party's victory so they can be players, in whatever dispensing capacity the elected person has. That's how they can gain glory. That is all I can tell them, but the pain is theirs. Any message or verbal solace will not be effective during such moments," the BJP MP said.
The deceased has been identified as Anand K Thampi, a resident of the Thrikkannapuram ward under the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, police added.
According to the police's initial reports, the BJP had already finalised its candidate for the Thrikkannapuram ward, and Anand's name was not included in the final list.
Following this, a WhatsApp message allegedly sent by Anand to his friends shortly before his death has surfaced, in which he levelled serious accusations against BJP leaders.
In the purported message, Anand alleged that certain BJP leaders were responsible for denying him the party ticket. He also claimed that some BJP and RSS leaders maintained links with the sand mafia. Police have recovered the message and are verifying its authenticity as part of the ongoing investigation.
Further probe is underway.