CPM-led LDF regime of party supremo Pinarayi Vijayan is in total mess and not any envy of the worst form administration existing in any part of the world. CM’s Principal Secretary M. Sivasankar IAS is in jail in connection with the smuggling of kilos after kilos of gold. He is being interrogated by several intelligence agencies, viz., NIA, Customs, Enforcement Directorate (ED), etc. His alleged partner Swapna Suresh’s proximity to the official residence of the CM is exposed like daylight. For several months he kept on shouting on top of his voice that he did not know Swapna. Later on he referred to her as a ‘controversial lady’. Afterwards he started to say that she had visited his residence along with the UAE Consul General. When Sivasankar told the interrogators that CM himself introduced him to Swapna, a major accused in the gold smuggling case, he started to waver and resort to conditional and partial admission like this. Then he said that he might have introduced him to Swapna when she visited him with UAE mission head. But, ‘he did not remember it….’. He was ‘not quite sure about even Sankar’s visit to his residence while UAE Consul General and Swapna were there’.
Then comes the humiliating arrest of Bineesh Kodiyeri, controversial son of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the powerful state secretary of CPM who is the blued eyed boy of CM since the last more than 5 decades. ED had arrested him couple of weeks back in connection with money laundering activities; he is alleged to be hand-in-glove with some controversial businessmen who are again alleged to be his (Binish’s) benamis. Then came charges against him in connection with drug trafficking. His bank accounts and disproportionate assets obviously raises suspicions regarding his affluent life.
BJP and UDF have been attacking CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan raising the allegations mounting up against Bineesh and his elder brother Binoy Kodiyeri. They have been demanding the resignation of both Pinarayi and Kodiyeri; involvement of the CM’s office in the gold smuggling was the bomb they carried for the former while the son-stories for the latter.
At last Kodiyeri Balakrishnan resigned on November 12. A very much convincing excuse was spread by the outgoing secretary as well as his party: “Ill health” ! They thought, it was enough for the public consumption. Because, people of Kerala were aware about the serious disease he has been suffering and the treatment he had had in US. But, the Keralites are not that foolish to believe it.
And, on November 17, Narcotic Control Bureau (NBC) arrested Bineesh. His arrest was recorded at the Bangalooru jail where he is imprisoned on remand after the arrest by ED.
Now, the CPM has started agitations against Central Agencies, because, “they are trying to destabilise the LDF government!” They conveniently forget the fact that it was none other than CM Pinarayi Vijayan who wrote to the Prime Minister of the country, in the wake of the gold smuggling, that he (PM) could send any Central Agency to carry out investigations. The same CM showered praises on NIA and other Central Agencies for the investigation they were conducting which were moving in the ‘right direction’ ! Now, C.M. Raveendran, Additional Private Secretary of the CM has been asked to come for interrogation shortly. This move from the Central Agency is he provocation for the agitation against the Centre. Now, Pinarayi is anxious of what is in store for him. Now, he wants to stop Central Agencies from ‘entering CM’s office” at any cost.
Vijayan believes that his Party can mount pressure on the Centre and stop the Central Agencies from laying their hands on him.
To add insult to the injury Kerala Finance Minister Dr. T.M. Thomas Isaac has invited the ridicule for the comments he made against the C&AG reports raising serious anomalies in formation of Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund (KIIFB). For the last few days Isaac has been telling the media about the alleged wrong comments in the report describing it as the ‘draft’ report. But, at last C&AG revealed that it was the final report and not a ‘draft’. Now, the question BJP and other Opposition leaders have been raising is ‘how come FM Isaac presents the report before the media.’ Basically, the report was supposed to be tabled before the Assembly; until then FM is not supposed to have a look of such reports nor leak it to the media. Now, obviously Isaac has breached his Constitutional obligations as an MLA and a cabinet minister who was sworn in in the name of the Constitution. Naturally the now, the demand is the resignation of the minister. He has also violated the privilege of the state assembly.
Surprisingly it is reported that controversial Chartered Accountant P. Venugopal had audited KIIFB accounts. Venugopal has been in news with respect to the bank locker of Swapna Suresh allegedly facilitated by Sivasankar to keep the illicit funds.
