One day after Customs linked the Chief Minister of Kerala to the gold smuggling case, Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday harshly criticized the BJP-led central government and said “this land will not blame us, no matter what you do.”
In a forceful response, CM Vijayan said: “All I have to say to the BJP and the agencies that dance to their tunes is this: we are not the type of people you are used to dealing with. We’re different. No matter what you do, this land won’t blame us. Our lives are open books and you will soon find out. “
All I have to say to the BJP and the agencies that dance to their melodies is this; We are not the type of people you are used to dealing with. We’re different. No matter what you do, this land won’t blame us. Our lives are open books and you will soon find out. pic.twitter.com/dVyFmA3Hhi
– Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) March 6, 2021
The political scene in the ballot-linked state has heated up as Customs informed the Kerala High Court that Swapna Suresh, key accused in the gold smuggling case, “He clearly stated about the smuggling of foreign currency at the request of” CM Vijayan and Spokesperson P Sreeramakrishnan, and “about the improper and illegal activities of three Ministers of the State Cabinet and the Spokesperson.”
These claims were made by Sumit Kumar, Customs Commissioner (Preventive), Kochi, in an affidavit filed in the High Court on Thursday.
The case concerns the seizure of 30 kg of gold, worth 14.82 million rupees, on July 5, 2020 at the air cargo terminal of Trivandrum International Airport by the Customs Commission (Preventive), Kochi, from a diplomatic baggage that had arrived from the United Arab Emirates. . The case was later transferred to the NIA. He initially arrested Sarith PS, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair even while on trips to the United Arab Emirates to investigate the case. To date, the agency has arrested 21 people in the case.
This is the first time Customs has filed an indictment against the Chief Minister, although the alleged role of his former chief secretary, M Sivasankar, had featured in investigations by multiple central agencies investigating smuggling and related cases. The Spokesperson’s personal staff had been questioned by Customs in January.
Hours earlier, the ruling LDF held protest marches towards the offices of the central agency in the state, as Customs began an investigation against its main leaders in relation to the smuggling case.
However, the LDF responded by stating that the BJP is engaged in “cheap politics”. In a statement, the CPM secretary of state had said: “The BJP is upset by the image of the Chief Minister and the government. Investigative agencies have been downgraded to the level of campaign tools. Kerala would give an adequate response to the challenge launched by the combined BJP-Congress. The Customs action is a flagrant violation of the electoral code and a misuse of investigative agencies … Those who engage in cheap politics must realize that this is Kerala. “
Following the complaints, the opposition Congress and the BJP have requested the resignation of the Chief Minister.
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