Kochi: The CPM has trained guns on the BJP after the Customs questioned mediaperson Anil Nambiar of the Janam television channel in connection with the gold smuggling case.
The CPM state secretariat has demanded that BJP give an explanation over this.
Anil Nambiar, a co-ordinating editor of the pro-BJP channel Janam TV, was summoned for questioning by the Customs on Thursday over his phone calls to gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh.
The LDF government and the CPM have been on the defensive ever since the gold smuggling scandal broke out. And now with this unexpected turn of events, they have instead found ammunition to corner the BJP over the issue.
The BJP suspects that the ploy is to target Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan using Anil Nambiar. DYFI state secretary A A Rahim said that Anil Nambiar was just a 'small fry' and there were ‘bigger sharks’ in the Ministry of External Affairs, hinting at the minister.
After reports emerged on Anil being questioned by the Customs, party state president K Surendran said that the BJP was not associated with the Janam TV or the journalist.
He also made it clear that this incident would not take the steam off BJP's agitations against the government and CPM in the gold smuggling case.
Meanwhile, Anil Nambiar said in a Facebook post that he was stepping down from his responsibilities of the Janam TV.
Customs seeks clarification
The officials sought an explanation from Anil Nambiar over his phone calls to Swapna Suresh on July 5, when the Customs registered a case in the seizure of 30kg gold from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
Anil had spoken to Swapna for 4 minute and 22 seconds. The Customs demanded him to detail the entire conversation between them for the 262 seconds. Prior to this, Anil had not called Swapna for a year.
However, Anil said that he had called Swapna to seek the Consulate's version of the gold seizure for the news report.
Swapna's statements
However, Swapna said that Anil had demanded that the official of the UAE Consulate release a statement that the gold was not seized from a diplomatic baggage but a personal bag.
When the Consulate General was informed about this, he asked Anil to draft the statement. Anil agreed to do this, Swapna said. However, she further said that she did not ask about the statement as she was busy plotting her own escape then. Swapna's statements on Anil Nambiar run into three pages.
Swapna also explained that she had met Anil two years ago through P S Sarith, another accused in the gold smuggling case.
Anil was slapped with a travel ban in the UAE after he got involved in a case. He had contacted Sarith over the issue.
With the help of certain officials in the Consulate, the ban was lifted and Anil was able to make the trip, Swapna explained.
Swapna also said that she had first met Anil at a star hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2018. As per his request, Consul General had participated in the inauguration of a tiles showroom in Thiruvananthapuram. Swapna had a role to play in this too. She also said that Anil used to occasionally call her since then.
