Opposition demands the resignation of CM Vijayan
Kochi (Kerala) – Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife, daughter, two colleagues and a former minister were involved in the smuggling, according to a reply filed by Swapna Suresh, accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case. Opposition parties have demanded the resignation of CM Vijayan. Swapna Suresh was working in the Consulate General of the United Arab Emirates.
Kerala gold smuggling case: CM Pinarayi Vijayan rebuts Swapna Suresh’s allegations, terms it as ‘political agenda’
Track latest news updates here https://t.co/A7quws7tdb pic.twitter.com/j9astABIWT— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) June 8, 2022
I have filed a statement before the magistrate under section 164 of the Criminal Code, Swapna Suresh told reporters. In the statement I have said about the involvement of CM Vijayan, his wife Kamala, daughter Veena, former Chief Secretary Nalini Netto, Vijayan’s Principal Secretary M. Shivshankar, additional private Secretary C.M. Raveendran and former Education Minister MLA K.T. Jaleel. The case started in 2016 when Vijayan first visited the United Arab Emirates. Vijayan’s then Principal Secretary M. Shivshankar instructed me to prepare for his visit. The next day I got a call from Shivshankar and he said ‘Vijayan has forgotten his bag. The bag should be sent immediately. Accordingly, I handed over the bag to the Emirates office. When the bag was scanned there, it was found to be full of currency notes. After that, biryani was often sent to Vijayan’s residence from the residence of the emirate’s trade representatives. It often contained metal-like objects. I have informed the Central Investigation Agency that this happened as per the instructions of Shivshankar.
Shivshankar has said that Swapna Suresh’s allegations are baseless, while Nalini Netto refused to comment.
Editorial Viewpoints
|