CPI(M) MP John Brittas on Wednesday strongly condemned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and alleged that the ruling Congress in the state was “part and parcel of this game”.
In response, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor replied to Brittas on X, rejecting the claim and saying that Vijayan was given a “place of honour” during the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister, VD Satheesan.
The ED searched around 10 locations across Kerala under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Among them was Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, officials told news agency PTI.
CPI(M)’s big charge at Congress over ED raids
Brittas alleged that the Congress government in Kerala had encouraged the ED to act against Vijayan.
“Com Pinarayi n CPIM not be cowed down by these undemocratic tactics. CPIM fight back resolutely with the support of the people to defend democracy. It is clear that the Congress leadership actively encouraged the ED to target him, just as they did in the case of Arvind Kejriwal,” he wrote in a post on X.
Speaking on the issue, Brittas said the party was not surprised by the developments. He compared the recent incident with the earlier ones in which central agencies had allegedly targeted the veteran leader and accused political rivals of coming together to weaken Vijayan through what he described as false cases.
Brittas told ANI, “We are not surprised. This is a clear demonstration of political vendetta. Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan has been haunted many times by central agencies. During the Emergency, he was thrashed, and there was an attempt to physically eliminate him.
Numerous cases have been falsely imposed on him. We must also underscore the fact that in this unfolding drama, the BJP is not alone; the Congress party is part and parcel of this game.”
Shashi Tharoor has a counter
Replying directly to Brittas on X, Tharoor said there was “absolutely no evidence” to support the allegation against Congress.
He wrote, “John, there is absolutely no evidence in support of your last sentence. @INCKerala has begun its governance in a spirit of conciliation, with the outgoing CM given a place of honour at the swearing-in. The new CM visited @pinarayivijayan’s home and paid his personal respects.
“Do you think he would connive at something like this? And from what you have seen of the Union government, do you really think they take their lead from any opposition party, in or out of the state government?”
The action against Vijayan came a day after the Kerala high court dismissed a writ petition filed by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) seeking to cancel the ED proceedings in the case, allowing the agency to continue its investigation.
According to the ED’s case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2024, CMRL allegedly made an illegal payment of ₹1.72 crore to Vijayan’s daughter T Veena’s company, Exalogic Solutions, between 2017 and 2020, despite the IT firm allegedly not providing any services to the company.
With inputs from agencies
