Shocking evidence on how the State and Central governments swept the UAE gold smuggling case under the wraps has now tumbled out, KPCC president K. Sudhakaran said on Saturday, demanding a re-investigation into the case.
If the case had been investigated properly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan too would have gone to prison along with bureaucrat M. Sivasankar and Swapna Suresh, Mr. Sudhakaran said, referring to the recent disclosures made by Swapna.
The fresh disclosures have made a re-investigation into the case unavoidable, he said.
Through his book 'Ashwathamavu Verum Oraana,' Mr. Sivasankar has attempted to give a clean chit to himself and the State government. It should be suspected that the book, written in violation of service rules, too was part of a larger script, Mr. Sudhakaran alleged. The same people who initiated action against IAS officer Raju Narayana Swami and IPS officer Jacob Thomas for writing books were now shielding Mr. Sivasankar, he alleged.
The disclosures by Swapna threw suspicion on the Chief Minister, according to him. Her employment in a department under the Chief Minister's portfolio, the aid given to the chief accused to flee Kerala once the case was registered, Mr. Sivasankar's role and his reinstatement in the service all pointed to Mr. Vijayan's role, he alleged. Mr. Sivasankar was only a tool for the Chief Minister. However, not even a petty case had been filed against the latter, Mr. Sudhakaran said.
The CPI(M) and the BJP had reached a compromise on the case during the last Assembly elections. Not only did the CPI(M)-BJP nexus help Mr. Vijayan to wriggle his way out of the case, but it also paved the way for his return as Chief Minister for a second term, Mr. Sudhakaran alleged.
Former Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also demanded a reinvestigation into the case. He said the stand taken by the UDF Opposition against the previous LDF government had now been vindicated. He demanded Mr. Vijayan to comment on the issue, and sought to know whether Mr. Sivasankar had obtained permission to write his book.
