Kerala Sports Minister EP Jayarajan told The News Minute on Thursday that he is surprised by the allegations of harassment and abuse made by sportsperson and Kerala Sports Council President Anju Bobby George, since his meeting with her had been a thoroughly amicable one.

“I never behaved rudely with her. I don’t know why she is making these allegations,” he said. On the meeting in which he allegedly shouted at and threatened Anju and other members of the Sports Council, he said, “It was a very amicable meeting. I even told her that she is such a renowned sportsperson.”

The Minister said that he did join issue with certain decisions taken by the Council. “I told her that certain decisions were taken in the absence of the president, which was not right,” he said.

He added that he had also expressed surprise that Anju had flown to Kerala from Bengaluru for a meeting with him when the sports secretary and other bureaucrats were not available, and that the meeting could have been better arranged at a more appropriate time.

He said that he was surprised by news reports on the alleged encounter between him and Anju, and “had a good laugh”. If TNM should contact Anju, she would confirm that these allegations are bunkum, he further said.

On hearing that the allegations had come from the former athlete herself, he said that he was really surprised by this news, and said that other persons present in the meeting would confirm his version of events.

Read : Kerala Sports Minister threatened and abused at first meeting with him, Anju Bobby George tells TNM

He also claimed that Anju had put up a Facebook post on Wednesday praising him, and asked why she did not raise these allegations on Wednesday itself, since the meeting took place on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, according to the New Indian Express, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Sports Minister had not insulted the athlete.