“The Polit Bureau warns the Satheesan government not to act as an agent of the ED,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a statement denouncing the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) move asking the Keralam Police to book former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena, and his son-in-law and CPI(M) leader Mohammad Riyas, in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) payoff case.
“The KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) president (Sunny Joseph) has endorsed the ED action and wants a case to be registered. This exposes the double standards of the Congress party. The same Congress opposes the ED actions against many of its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi,” the CPI(M) stated.
As per reports, in the ED’s letter to the state police, the charges against Pinarayi Vijayan were that he received Rs 3.28 crore bribe from CMRL through his daughter Veena. The ED has accused Veena of assisting Vijayan and Mohammed Riyas in collecting and routing of bribe funds. The charges are based on the alleged revelations made by CMRL official P Suresh Kumar. The ED has sought to register a first information report (FIR) under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other relevant laws.
The CPI(M) said that it was evident that the investigation against Veena was “only a pretext to target” Pinarayi Vijayan. “This is typical of the way the central agencies are being used by the Modi government to target opposition leaders,” it said.
The CPI(M) statement also referred to the actions of Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan, who had moved the Supreme Court seeking a Vigilance probe into the alleged monthly payment transactions between CMRL and Veena’s now defunct IT firm of Kerala. The court had dismissed the plea.
“It may be recalled that previously a Congress MLA from Keralam had gone to the Vigilance Court, the High Court and later even to the Supreme Court, to get a case registered against Pinarayi Vijayan. But the Courts had rejected his plea in this matter. It is this case that is sought to be foisted now,” the CPI(M) statement read.
“The party will oppose this political vendetta with all its resources, politically, and legally,” The CPI(M) stated.