Slighted by Kerala Governor's remark, 'You have something to hide', Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan turned the tables on the Governor, saying that there is laxity on the part of the Customs Department in checking gold smuggling in airports. In his latest reply to the letter from Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the Chief Minister doesn't mince words and says, “It should be appreciated that the arrival of gold escaping scrutiny at the airport is due to laxity on the part of the Customs Department and not of the State Government. The responsibility for the arrival of duty-evaded gold does not lie with the State Government. Despite this, we have been keeping utmost vigil in this matter.”

He follows it up with a request. “Kindly consider raising the matter of duty evaded gold coming through airports with the Union Ministry concerned and help our humble efforts, for which we shall be grateful.” Pinarayi Vijayan almost reminds the Governor to set things straight with the Customs department instead of meddling with affairs of state police department.

The CM doesn't make a feeble attempt to hide his glee and pride to hint that Kerala police make up for the lapses of the Customs department. The responsibility for that failure rests with the Union Government, as he elaborates. "The primary duty to prevent gold smuggling is with the Customs Department, which functions under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Customs is Entry 83 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. Since smuggling creates associated law and order problems and tax leakage, State police have been keeping a vigil in the matter and have acted in cases where they could get reliable information.”

He reiterated that there was absolutely no mention of any anti-national or anti-state activities going on in the State in any of his public statements. According to the Chief Minister, the Governor either misconceived the facts or has been provided with a distorted version of the actual facts.

Regarding his media conference on September 21, he said he had given only some statistical details on the interception and seizure by State Police of smuggled gold, which has come through some of the airports in Kerala. "It was the action taken by the police authorities in this regard that was explained before the press," Pinarayi Vijayan said in the letter. His remarks during the press conference on gold smuggling were general statements that such activities are crimes against the Nation and that the State Government is determined to take stern and stringent action against such tendencies.

He further said that he had officially denied statements on anti-state activities published in an interview with The Hindu and that the daily had also acknowledged their error and expressed regrets. “There is no point raking up a comment which was not mine," the letter notes.