Kozhikode, Sep 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kerala's Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday broke his silence on the Enforcement Directorate’s move seeking registration of a corruption case against him, his daughter Veena Vijayan and son-in-law and former minister Mohammed Riyas, describing it as the latest in a decade-long onslaught against the CPI-M and alleging that central agencies were being used to politically target opponents.
Meeting the media for the first time after the ED forwarded its 25-page letter to the state police chief seeking registration of a case over the CMRL-Exalogic transactions, Vijayan said the present move appeared to be a joint and combined operation targeting the Left following the change of government in the state.
He questioned what he called a new ED narrative that the money received by Exalogic from CMRL was a gratification for favours allegedly extended to the company during his tenure as Chief Minister.
"Which of the two narratives is right?" he asked, pointing out that the ED had also alleged that CMRL had suffered losses and had received undue benefits.
If CMRL had suffered losses, he asked, how could it simultaneously have received undue benefits from the government? Vijayan maintained that he had done nothing as Chief Minister to benefit CMRL and challenged the investigating agencies to show evidence of any such favour.
He recalled that a case filed by Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan in 2024 raising allegations relating to the CMRL-Exalogic issue had failed to find merit in the allegations, and claimed that the Supreme Court too had given the issue a clean chit.
“Why again is the ED taking the same route?” he asked, alleging that a new script was being prepared to implicate him.
Vijayan said he had remained under attack since the CPI-M-led LDF came to power in 2016, with allegations surfacing even during the devastating floods and later over the gold smuggling case.
Despite what he termed wild allegations, the people had returned the LDF to power in 2021, marking the first time a government had won a consecutive term in Kerala.
But after the UDF came to power in 2026, he said, the nature of the attack had changed, with the ED now joining what he described as a coordinated campaign against the Left.
He also rejected reports that Veena had admitted wrongdoings before the ED, calling the claim a blatant lie.
Vijayan said central agencies were being used to haunt political adversaries and questioned Congress leaders in Kerala over similar criticism voiced by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar.
"This is not a personal attack on me. It is an attack on the CPI-M," he said, alleging that the RSS agenda was to finish off the party.
Refusing to be cowed down, Vijayan said he would fight the matter legally and politically.
He also cautioned that no one should assume they were outside the reach of the ED.
"The credibility of an agency is paramount. It should not be used to target people. At the moment, they are trying to terrorise people," he said.
Vijayan said he decided to address the media after hearing of the ED’s latest move while travelling, but had to postpone the press meet because of voice problems.
His intervention comes on the eve of the extended CPI-M State Committee meeting, adding a new political dimension to a probe that has already put the former Chief Minister and his family under renewed scrutiny.
Source: IANS
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