THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has sought the resignation of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the Customs affidavit in the high court that alleges the involvement of the chief minister in the dollar smuggling.
“What the gold smuggling case accused (Swapna Suresh) has revealed the about the involvement of the chief minister and three of his cabinet colleagues in the dollar smuggling is really shocking. The chief minister has no moral authority to continue in office not even for a single minute,” said Chennithala.
It is also shocking to know that the investigating agencies had recorded this statement from the gold smuggling accused two months back and they sat on it without submitting it before the high court.
“The investigating agencies were going slow on the investigation despite getting this shocking statement. This was why the opposition has been alleging that the central investigating agencies had gone slow on the investigation when they came to know about the involvement of the chief minister himself in this. The chief minister and the BJP have reached a secret understanding regarding this,” alleged the opposition leader.
How can the chief minister blame the Congress for the central investigating agencies initiating action against him and agencies like KIIFB? He is trying to put the blame on the Congress to cover up the secret pact he had reached with the BJP, said Chennithala. He alleged that the chief minister was engaged in the distress sale of the state during his rule and the last attempt was to sell the deep-sea fishing sector to a US company. The Sprinkler deal was also a perfect example of his attempt to sell the details of the people here to another US agency.
On the chief minister’s accusations regarding Congress leaders and workers joining the BJP, the opposition leader said the chief minister should not forget what is happening to the CPM men in Tripura and West Bengal. Even in Thiruvananthapuram, two branch committees of the CPM have en masse joined the BJP, he said.