Why attack on ED, bank officials during raid on Pinarayi home weakens CPI(M)

The May 27 episode of stone-pelting, blockading and violence by suspected CPI(M) activists on a team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and bank officials who had raided former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s rented home in Thiruvananthapuram has turned into bad optics for the Left.

The raids were conducted at multiple locations in the state, including the Kozhikode home of Vijayan’s son-in-law and former minister Mohammed Riyas. According to ED officials, the raids were linked to illegal payments made to politicians and their kin by the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) during 2017-20. Payments were allegedly also received by Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, the IT firm of Vijayan’s daughter T. Veena.

The Kochi unit of the ED planned the raids after CMRL’s petitions in the Kerala High Court were dismissed on May 26, thereby green-signalling the agency to pursue its money-laundering investigation.

The raids sent shockwaves in CPI(M) ranks. Leaders assembled at locations on May 27 and staged protests. The CPI(M) Politburo also decided to hold protests and its members, including general secretary M.A. Baby, courted arrest in New Delhi.

“The ED targeted Pinarayi Vijayan for resisting the BJP’s agendas in Kerala. There is no substance in the case against his daughter T. Veena. Her company followed the law and accounted for payments,” A. Vijayaraghavan, a CPI(M) Politburo member, told INDIA TODAY. “The CPI(M) will not yield to the designs of the Congress and BJP and will continue to resist attempts to defame the party and its leaders.”

In the long-drawn-out controversy surrounding Veena, her company allegedly received Rs 1.72 crore from CMRL during 2017-20 without offering services in return. Vijayan maintains the allegations are an attempt to tarnish his image.

At the same time, the violence against ED and bank officials has come as a blot on the CPI(M) on three counts. First, it was unwarranted even politically since Veena is not a party member. Second, the attack on officials exposed the criminal elements in the CPI(M) who do not heed party directives. Third, the attack weakens Vijayan’s political position and Veena’s interests in the ongoing probe.

Chief minister V.D. Satheesan, when questioned by the media, chose not to react to the ED raids. As speculation mounted, there was also uncomfortable political coincidence since Satheesan had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi just a day before—his first since becoming chief minister. While the Congress accuses central investigative agencies of acting as BJP tools against Opposition parties, any condemnation of the ED raids would have meant support for the party’s Kerala rival, the Left.

Satheesan, however, summoned state police chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar to brief him about the circumstances leading to the attack and why police failed to provide adequate security to the raiding team.

Meanwhile, the Kerala wing of the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) strongly condemned the attack on bank officials. “The incident raises serious and sensitive questions Innocent bank officials, including a woman officer, who were reportedly requisitioned only as independent panch witnesses for preparation of the panchnama, were exposed to an agitated crowd despite the tense situation outside the premises being known to all authorities. Their vehicle was allegedly allowed to move out first, resulting in a life-threatening mob attack on officials who had no role whatsoever in the ED investigation, political controversy or allegations connected with the raid,” AIBOC Kerala said in a media statement.

Sreenath Induchoodan, state secretary of AIBOC Kerala, said the incident was more than an isolated attack on a few officials. “It reflects a larger and deeply disturbing issue affecting thousands of bank officers, who are already working under severe pressure due to staff shortage, excessive workload, target-driven stress and increasing non-banking responsibilities,” Induchoodan said.

While 29 people have been arrested for the attack, the Kerala police have drawn flak for failing to both anticipate and prevent the violence. Senior police officers were apparently missing on the ground.

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