Kochi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala on Friday alleged that the silence of the state Congress on the arrest of a godman on charges of rape could be a pointer to their possible links with the swami.

Controversial godman Swami Amritananthachaithanya alias Santosh Madhavan was arrested here on Tuesday morning on three charges, including rape of a teenager.

Addressing reporters here on Friday, state BJP vice president A N Radhakrishnan said, "It appears that Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is blackmailing Congress leaders and hence they are silent."

"It was this very swami who had fixed the timing of the marriage of Balakrishnan's son (held in Thiruvananthapuram last month). The silence of the Congress leaders is surprising. Maybe their leaders also have close links with the swami and hence they are silent, which has come as a blessing for Balakrishnan," Radhakrishnan charged.

This is the second allegation levelled by the BJP after the party's youth wing last week said that Madhavan was being shielded by Balakrishnan's son. Madhavan is in police custody and being taken to places in the state that he had visited.

"The police appear to be soft on the swami and instead of taking his help in investigating the Rs.5,000 crore (Rs.50 billion) hawala case in which several bigwigs are involved, they are looking into other issues," Radhakrishnan said.

Source : IANS