Union Minister Rajiv Chandra Shekhar on Monday questioned the silence of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the alleged gold smuggling and said that the recent revelations made by the prime accused in the case Swapna Suresh point needle of suspicion to him and his family.
Notably, Swapna Suresh, last week revealed that she has declared in court about the involvement of Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife and daughter in the matter. The Chief Minister had dismissed the allegations citing a "political agenda".
Addressing the media, Rajiv Chandra Shekhar said, "When the gold smuggling scam was exposed in 2020, CM Kerela Pinarayi Vijayan had written to PM Narendra Modi. But since then, the government has blocked the investigation. The recent revelations are explosive and unprecedented. This points the needle of suspicion to CM and his family."
"At the fulcrum of this conspiracy that involves currency smuggling and receiving of many unexplained consignments to his official residence is CM. Instead of trying to investigate, people offered money & threats to the woman who brought this to light," the Union Minister added.
Chandra Shekhar further put up a set of questions to the Kerala Chief Minister, and said, "Questions arise as to why is the CM quiet on the matter? Why was ADGP brokering settlement removed overnight? Doesn't this confirm the involvement of the CM? Whose money was it that the Additional director general of police was offering?"
V Muraleedharan also alleged that the Kerala government is preventing the Central Agencies from conducting an enquiry in the state.
Meanwhile, dismissing Swapna Suresh's allegations, Vijayan said, "These comments by the accused are part of the political agenda. The public had already dismissed this agenda. After an interval, they are making the accused repeat the same statement. There is not even an iota of facts in this allegation. If you think that by spreading these lies, you can destroy the determination of the government and political leadership, I am reminding you that this is a futile exercise," he said.
"I strongly believe that society will give an apt reply to those who think that they can benefit from this," the Chief Minister added.
Earlier, Swapna Suresh alleged that there is a threat to her life and she has sought protection.
"I have already given 164 statements in court about a threat to my life. I have declared in court about all the people involved in this case. I have also filed a petition seeking protection in court. They are considering it. I have declared in the court about what is the involvement of M Sivasankar (then principal secretary to Kerala CMO), the Chief Minister, CM's wife Kamala, CM's daughter Veena, his secretary CM Raveendran, then Chief Secretary Nalini Netto IAS, then minister KT Jaleel," she said.
The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.
After spending 16 months behind bars, Swapna was released from jail in November last year.
( With inputs from ANI )
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