Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: CPI-M Rubbishes Allegation, Says Will Go To People To Explain ‘Conspiracy’

CPI-M State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said, "This is nothing but to target Vijayan, his family and the party. We have decided that we will launch a campaign against this and tell the people".

CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan

Source : Twitter/@b_kodiyeri

Thiruvananthapuram: Stung by gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna Suresh's allegations that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his wife were engaged in smuggling gold and currency, the CPI-M top brass on Friday went into a huddle and decided to go to the people to explain the present "conspiracy" hatched to tarnish him and the party.

Addressing the media after the meeting, state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said this very same gold smuggling case had hit the headlines a few years back.

"Various national agencies had probed this then and nothing surfaced and we the Left won two elections (2020 local body and 2021 Assembly) as the people had rubbished all these. Now again the same thing has re-surfaced and the only new allegation is smuggling was carried out in biryani vessels," he said.

"This is nothing but to target Vijayan, his family and the party. We have decided that we will launch a campaign against this and tell the people and then using the people, we will face this onslaught, which is now a joint initiative between the BJP and the Congress. We are the least worried as this is not the first time that Vijayan has been targeted as not long ago all heard about a company called Kamala International in Singapore (Kamala is the name of Vijayan) and all know what happened to that baseless allegation," he said.

Balakrishnan went on to accuse Suresh of giving contradictory statements. Initially, she gave a clean chit to Vijayan and his then aide M. Sivasankar, saying that they had no role and now she says otherwise, he said.

"We have not seen her most recent statement while in her previous similar statement these things were not there. So it is the court which has to decide now," he added.

In reply to a question about an audio clip that Suresh released on Friday where she alleged that Balakrishnan and Vijayan's funds are sent to the US through Believers Church, Balakrishna said he has gone to the US thrice and that was for treatment with the entire expenses borne by the party.

Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan said in the light of the fresh revelations, only a court-monitored probe will bring out the truth.

"We do not trust a probe by any central agency as in the past when it was done, we all know what had happened as it was stage-managed between the BJP and the CPI-M. All know how the CPI-M haunted our Chief Minister Oommen Chandy when the solar scam surfaced. We did not do anything to bring any discomfort as the then Left opposition under Vijayan did when they brought everything to a halt. Even Chandy was injured in a stone-throwing incident. We are not such type and we will never throw stones on Vijayan," he said, but demanded that Vijayan has to quit and face a probe.