Reacting to the media questions on the Kerala gold smuggling case, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that BJP went ‘overboard’ by denouncing Janam TV, a Malayalam channel, after the channel’s Coordinating Editor Anil Nambiar was questioned by the Customs Department in connection with the case.
Editor Anil Nambiar was recently quizzed by Customs over his alleged link to Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the case. After the incident, BJP state president K Surendran had come out stating that the party was not related to the channel. He soon corrected it, saying that he only meant that the party does not have stakes in the channel.
“Probe in the case is ongoing only, but even then, they (BJP) have denounced a channel like Janam. I do not understand why they chose this stand, it was a bit too much. People know the facts, the party will only become ridiculous by saying so. The BJP went overboard with this statement,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.
Swapna Suresh had told the Customs recently that Anil Nambiar had contacted her on the day the smuggled gold was seized to offer advice. But he has denied the allegations, alleging that media houses are twisting facts. He has also said that he will stay away from the channel until his name is cleared.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday alleged that the BJP was trying to "derail" the probe in the gold smuggling case and claimed there is an "underlying connection" between the saffron party and the CPI(M), a charge dismissed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
However, the Chief Minister ridiculed the statement of the senior Congress leader and said the probe was going in the right direction and "the opposition leader had no idea what he was talking about."
"The BJP is trying to derail the probe in the gold smuggling case. Both the BJP and the CPI(M) are on the same page in the matter. Anil Nambiar tried to derail the case and a statement in this regard was given by Swapna Suresh (accused in the case). Even though they both act like enemies, an active undercurrent between them is at play," Chennithala had said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Watch Pinarayi Vijayan's statement on Janam TV: