Congress conspiracy behind ED raid on Pinarayi Vijayan? Kerala CM junks claim
Some CPI(M) leaders alleged Congress's role in the ED raids on Pinarayi Vijayan, a charge that VD Satheesan rejected, urging the Left leaders to 'use common sense'.
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Friday strongly rejected allegations linking the Congress to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on his predecessor Pinarayi Vijayan’s residences, asserting that the central agency functions independently and that the state government has no role in its actions.
Dismissing the Left front’s narrative surrounding the timing of the raids, which took place shortly after Satheesan’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, the Chief Minister urged the CPI(M) leaders to use their commonsense before raising such allegations.
On Wednesday, the ED conducted searches at Vijayan’s current residence in Thiruvananthapuram, his house in Kannur, and the residence of his son-in-law and former minister Muhammad Riyas, along with several other locations. The searches are part of a money laundering probe linked to alleged payoffs from a Kochi-based speciality chemicals company to a firm owned by CPI(M) leader’s daughter, T Veena.
Responding to the CPI(M)’s allegations, Satheesan, who had remained silent on the matter despite repeated questions over the past two days, said, "ED is a central agency. They have registered a case and some respondents approached the High Court. As part of the investigation, raids were conducted."
"What is the role of the state government? Are we competent to comment on the investigation? If it is illegal, they can approach the court," the Chief Minister said at a press conference.
Responding to allegations that the raids took place a day after his meeting with the Prime Minister, Satheesan dismissed the claims, asking, "Is this a joke?"
“I am meeting the Prime Minister of India for the first time. And I asked him to conduct raids at the house of the opposition leader? Is this some joke? My advice to the CPI(M) is to use common sense. People are watching all this,” he said.
On the CPI(M)’s argument that Vijayan had reacted strongly when Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were questioned by the ED, Satheesan said, "We raised this issue (pay-off from company) on the floor of the Kerala Assembly. The allegation here is a money laundering case. So how are we supposed to react?"
Responding to questions on violence and alleged lapses on the part of the police, the Chief Minister said the state government had no prior information about the ED operation.
“The government did not have any information from the ED. They did not inform the police,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vijayan, who has now assumed the role of Leader of Opposition, alleged that the ED searches at his premises were part of a targeted crackdown on opposition leaders across the country.
“This is only the beginning. Nobody should harbour the illusion that such actions can intimidate or weaken us,” he said.
The veteran CPI(M) leader alleged that the BJP-led Centre has been using central agencies against opposition leaders since coming to power, and claimed that the action against him was also part of the same strategy.
He further alleged that the searches may have provided “mental satisfaction” to leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the Congress leader had repeatedly questioned why his residence had not been searched and why he had not been arrested.