Swapna Suresh, one of the prime accused in Kerala's sensational gold smuggling case and got bail in November 2021, now has a job with the Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS), a non-governmental organisation which is based in Palakkad. On February 18, she was appointed as the head of the organisation’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) wing, and took charge of the HRDS Thodupuzha office in Idukki.
However, her appointment has kicked off a row after multiple reports suggested that the HRDS is backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). As per its website, HRDS is a registered NGO that focuses on tribal development. The Left has spoken out against Swapna joining the NGO, and claimed that the BJP was trying to cover up the link between the party and Swapna.
"The news has been carried by some media while some have hushed it up. However, the media has not mentioned that she has been appointed in an RSS-linked NGO. It is not that the media is unaware that the top posts in the NGO are held by RSS-BJP leaders. But they hushed it upso that the public wouldn't come to know about the link between Swapna and the BJP," PV Anvar, independent LDF MLA from Nilambur, alleged in a Facebook post.
However, Swapna has defended herself, claiming that she was not aware of HRDS’s political lineage. "In the offer letter, it was not mentioned if it was a pro RSS-NGO or a pro-BJP NGO. Also, I don't have multiple (job) opportunities before me as I have been struggling to keep my life forward," she told Manorama News.
She also alleged that former IAS officer M Sivasankar is behind the conspiracy. Addressing him, she told the media that if Sivasankar would not allow her to live by taking away her job opportunities, he should “send poison to her mother and children” and “kill her.” Sivasankaran, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was arrested in connection with the gold smuggling case as well, and was placed under suspension. The government revoked his suspension in January this year.
She also urged Left supporters to allow her some privacy.
According to the HRDS website, the NGO’s president is Guru Atma Nambi, a ‘mystic’ from Tamil Nadu. The secretary, Aji Krishnan, told Manorama News that it was a journalist named Anil, who recommended Swapna’s name for the post "I have a friend named Anil who is a journalist and he recommended her name. I then consulted with Swamiji (referring to Guru Atma Nambi). Also, her profile is one that suits the job," he said.
Meanwhile, BJP state President K Surendran has alleged that HRDS has connections with the CPI(M), and not the BJP. He alleged that it was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who launched the logo of the company and its establishment in Thodupuzha, which was inaugurated by MM Mani, former Electricity Minister and a CPIM (M) leader.
S Krishnakumar, a former Congress leader, alleged that Swapna Suresh was illegally appointed, without the approval of other HRDS officials.
He told Marthubhumi that he had lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister and the Director-General of Police (DGP) to probe “illegal” activities and anomalies within the HRDS. Aji Krishnan, however, called Krishna Kumar’s allegations baseless.
On Saturday, February 20, the Kerala State Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes registered a case against HRDS, based on a complaint that they were constructing uninhabitable houses for Adivasis in Attappady and other places.
Watch Swapna Suresh speaking to TNM