The Left Democratic Front (LDF) believed that the UAE diplomatic baggage gold smuggling scandal was behind.
After all, the ruling front had come back to power comfortably for a second straight term after decisively trouncing a recriminatory campaign "propped up" by "politically antagonistic" Central agencies and spearheaded by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
However, Friday seemed to bring a "rude surprise" for the government.
Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the case, gave a combative television interview in which she appeared to suggest that M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was complicit in the economic offence.
Swapna, who exuded the image of a wronged but defiant woman in the lengthy one-on-one, alleged Mr. Sivasankar was the "mastermind" of the operation and she, a hapless victim. An"unflattering" portrait of Swapna in an autobiographical work authored by Mr. Sivasankar about his trials and tribulations as a co-accused in the case had provoked her.
If anybody aspired to cast aspersions on her character, Swapna threatened to write a "tell-all". She also "shed light" on her powerful connections in the erstwhile LDF government.
The headline-grabbing interview sparked a furious political row on Saturday. The Congress and the BJP attempted to exploit the "damning revelations" by Swapna to resurrect the politically moribund scandal.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan fired the first broadside against the government. BJP State president K. Surendran and Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan soon followed suit.
The leaders said, independently, that Swapna's disclosures had validated their position that smugglers and economic offenders had free rein in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
The Congress and the BJP highlighted Swapna's "explosive" statement that she had made a "pre-scripted" mobile phone recording at the instance of her jailers, suggesting that Mr. Vijayan was innocent of the crime.
The government appeared undefended against the cutting attacks. An LDF insider denied the insinuation that Swapna's politically charged interview had scared "Pinarayi" apologists off the airwaves. The LDF had endured worse political punches and coasted to victory for a second consecutive term. He termed the current controversy "a tempest in a teapot with scarce political import".
