Congress: CPM, BJP Nexus To Save Kerala CM Son

Thiruvananthapuram:The Congress on Saturday accused the ruling CPM in Kerala of having a “nexus” with the BJP, following media reports that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a notice to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son, Vivek Kiran, in 2023 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the Life Mission project, but did not interrogate him.

Reacting sharply, CPM leader and general education minister V. Sivankutty dismissed the allegations as a “politically motivated conspiracy”, claiming that the timing of the reports, ahead of elections, showed their intent to tarnish the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s image.

Addressing reporters, AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal alleged that the ED issued the notice secretly to the Chief Minister’s son, unlike in cases involving Opposition leaders where the agency “publicises its actions widely.”

“In such cases, arrests and interrogations follow even when there is no solid evidence. This was seen in the arrests of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren. It also happened in the National Herald case involving Congress leaders,” Venugopal said.

He further claimed that Vijayan’s son did not appear for questioning despite receiving the notice and demanded clarity from the ED.

“Was he interrogated later? Has the investigation been closed, or is it ongoing? The ED must answer these questions,” he said, adding that the CPM’s silence on the matter “raises several suspicions.”

“Like the ED, the CPM too preferred to remain silent. Otherwise, they would have dismissed it as a political attack, as they usually do,” he remarked.

Without naming anyone, Venugopal said, “Something is rotting in Denmark. It is the Chief Minister’s responsibility to clear the air and say what really happened.”

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala echoed the charge, saying it appeared as if the ED summons had “evaporated.”

“We had said earlier that the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling and Life Mission cases would disappear due to the unholy nexus between the BJP and CPM. That has now come true,” he alleged.

Refuting the Congress’s claims, Minister Sivankutty said, “The ED has not taken any follow-up action for more than one and a half years, which clearly shows there is no substance in the allegation.”

He alleged that the opposition was “disturbed by the growing acceptance of the LDF government” and was resorting to “baseless personal attacks.”

Media reports on Saturday claimed that the ED had summoned Vivek Kiran in February 2023 for questioning in connection with the Life Mission project, which involved constructing apartments in Wadakkancherry, Thrissur, funded by the UAE Red Crescent for families affected by the 2018 Kerala floods.

According to the reports, the summons, issued by then ED assistant director P.K. Anand in Kochi, directed him to appear on February 14, 2023. The ED case alleges that Unitac Builders, which undertook the project, paid a commission of ₹4.5 crore to middlemen, including state representatives.

M. Sivasankar, former principal secretary to the Chief Minister, had earlier been arrested in connection with the same case.