Thiruvananthapuram: Former Speaker and senior CPM leader P Sreeramakrishnan on Tuesday rejected the allegations of Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case.
The latter had claimed he had invited her to his official residence alone and that they consumed alcohol together.
“I’m not a fool to ask her to come alone to my official residence by giving a slip to the security personnel there. I’m also not that uncultured to daily hold booze parties at a place where I live with my family, comprising my wife, children, and aged mother,” an agitated Sreeramakrishnan wrote.
Swapna used to come with her husband and son while dropping in to extend invitations for official functions and similar things, the two-time legislator from Ponnani said in his social media post.
Excerpts of the social media post:
Now I’m at the receiving end of a new set of allegations after all those false and baseless smear campaigns that crossed all limits.
I haven’t so far reacted to such accusations, which I learn from the newspapers every morning. When speculations and lies are being aired as ‘Breaking News’ and ‘Headlines’ in the name of ‘statements’, I thought they should themselves correct those news created from the vacuum.
“What all and what not are being levelled against me as part of the smear campaign! That the Speaker has Rs 300 crore investment in Europe, owns a college in Sharjah, has role in dollar smuggling, has secret deals with the Sharjah sheikh....that I travelled abroad 41 times accompanied by the accused in the gold smuggling case (.... travel that I didn’t undertake even once…)
“That I went suspiciously missing for four days upon my arrival in London to attend a snake boat race organized by a Malayali association.... I was portrayed as an international criminal....
.....In between one alleged that I had met the above-mentioned gold smuggling case accused at a five-star hotel in Ernakulam.... they even created fake news about me attempting suicide and circulated the same.
They never tried to find out whether there is any truth in all these... Even when they finished giving the Breaking News and scrolls of the headlines, they failed to gauge the mental condition of a victim of media trial. At last, the investigating agencies drew a curtain to all these by submitting the final probe reports.
That’s when new ‘stories’ are emerging... All the above-mentioned old and new allegations against me didn’t even have an iota of truth in them. They are all completely false charges. My official residence was within the Legislative Assembly complex. Hence, it was nothing new that visitors pour in when they know I had left the office. Smt Swapna too has come to my house in her capacity as an official of the Consulate. During her visits to invite me to official functions, she used to be accompanied by her husband and son.
One has to cross two gates, where security personnel have been deployed, before reaching my official residence. Even in the official residence, there are two gunmen, two assistant managers, drivers, PAs, cooks, and all. Besides that, daily wage labourers including cleaning staff, and gardening employees too are present. I’m not foolish enough to ask a person to outsmart all these people and reach my house alone without being detected by them.
Not only that, I’m living in my official residence with my family. I noticed one media report that liquor parties were conducted daily where I reside with my family....My daughter studied at the Asian School of Management, Pallippuram, and my son at St Joseph High School. Since my wife was working on deputation at the Education Department, all were in Thiruvananthapuram. My mother was staying all the time with me.
Whoever visits me, be it a man or woman, I have always behaved with them with affection and in a friendly and polite manner. I have never heard anybody complaining, mistaking it for something else, in my public life spanning 40 years. I have never sent any unnecessary messages to anyone. It is clear that for whom such canards are being spread years after the investigation into the gold smuggling case was launched and the charge sheet in the case was filed.
For several issues related to the Consulate, I have contacted Smt Swapna through my office. But I have not so far visited the UAE Consulate. I have not seen that building also. I have only met the attaché at some Iftar, and I don’t share any friendship with him. I don’t possess even his phone number. I have never telephoned him. It is brutal to allege that I had deals with someone with whom I didn’t have any contacts. Those who rally with political motives behind someone who is in a mindset to speak wildly - just as firing indiscriminately - should remember that one day truth will come out, however deeply it is buried.
The online media men who are spreading canards irresponsibly and in a heinous manner should reveal if there is an iota of truth in the news they had spread regarding foreign connections and financial dealings. However, there is a lesson that I have learned from all these screenplays, and that is “trust, that’s not all”. The public should identify who are the beneficiaries of these canards spread due to political vendetta.
We have seen that the Sangh Parivar will cross any limits ....
The grand political design or conspiracy is to prevent the economic offences, gold smuggling source, target, and allied plays from coming out in the open. The accused Swapna is becoming a pawn, with or without her knowledge in this game. Hence, going forward, it will be dealt with politically, and then the legal angle also should be examined. Will take a stand after consulting the party.
Swapna's reaction
Meanwhile, Swapna responded to the former Speaker's post on social media, posting a few photos of Sreeramakrishnan claiming that they are from the parties. She captioned the photos thus: This is just a simple and humble reply and a reminder to Mr. P Sreeramakrishnan for his fb post and related arguments. In case this doesn't remind him the rest then I request this gentleman to please file a defamation suit against me so that I may be able to produce the rest of the evidences before the Honble Court.
