In the audio clip, which comes several months ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections, accused Saritha Nair is reportedly heard speaking to a person that the ruling CPI-M has asked her to make money for her "services rendered to that party".

 

"They (CPI-M ) know me and are slightly scared of me. I am making use of it also," Saritha allegedly tells job aspirant SS Arun, who paid her for getting a government job.

 

She is allegedly heard claiming that the money so collected is shared between the party and officials who process documents for the jobs.

 

Arun, who lives on the city outskirts, confirmed that he had got in touch with Saritha and paid money after she promised him a government job. He told the media that there were 317 telephone calls between them and after her call, he found out that the voice of the woman on the audio clip -- who claimed to be an employee at the state Secretariat -- sounded like Saritha's. Later, he said, he asked her if she was Saritha and she replied in the affirmative.

 

Arun alleged that the promised job never came his way and he had filed a police complaint but no action has been taken so far.

 

Even as Saritha maintained that she had no clue who Arun was and that the voice was also not hers, the Communist Party of India-Marxist continued to maintain a stoic silence.

 

Reacting to the controversy, Congress Lok Sabha member K Muraleedharan said it was indeed surprising that the CPI-M was mum on the issue. "No action is forthcoming and this shows the double standards of the ruling party," he claimed.

 

In the run-up to the 2016 Assembly polls in Kerala, the CPI-M had used Saritha's damning statements against Chandy and his Ministers and others to good effect.