CMRL pay-off case: Raid concludes at Pinarayi's residence, CPM workers vandalise vehicle carrying officials

Protests against the raids by the Enforcement Directorate in opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan's residence turned violent in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. The car in which the ED officials were returning after the raid was attacked by the CPM workers. They smashed the side mirror, front and rear glass of the vehicle using bricks and sticks. The workers overpowered the cops, who struggled to make way for the vehicle and blocked the path.

The CPM, on Wednesday, launched state-wide protests following raids by the Enforcement Directorate in the residences of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Mohammed Riyas MLA in connection with the CMRL monthly pay-off case. Workers led by district leaders gathered in front of the residences and staged sit-in protests and raised slogans in support of Pinarayi Vijayan.

Senior party leaders alleged that raids were driven by political conspiracy and that there was an understanding between the BJP and the Congress to weaken the CPM in Kerala. Leaders, without going into the details of the case against Pinarayi's daughter Veena Vijayan, reiterated that the BJP was deploying the ED to target CPM's foremost leader, Pinarayi Vijayan.

Meanwhile, Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the Congress has chosen to remain indifferent to ED action as long as those being targeted are not members of the party. Addressing the media on the ED raids, he said the Left would not be intimidated by such moves. “We see this only as the beginning. No one should think these actions can weaken our resolve or dampen our spirit,” he said. Vijayan also said the party and its supporters had continued to stand firmly with him whenever he came under attack from anti-party forces. “Once again, our supporters have shown that their backing remains unwavering. Together, we can face any challenge; that is our strength,” he added.

In a post on X, CPM General Secretary M A Baby asked if the UDF government was complicit in this raid. CPM Kannur Secretary and State committee member K K Ragesh said that the raids were politically motivated and drew comparisons to the way the CBI had haunted AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the 2022 Delhi excise policy case. M A Baby said that neither CPM nor Pinarayi Vijayan could be intimidated through such actions. “If the government believes that raids like this can instil fear in Pinarayi Vijayan or the CPM, they do not understand who Pinarayi Vijayan is or what the CPM stands for,” he said.

The CPI State Secretariat, in an official statement issued on Wednesday, alleged that the ED raids “conducted under the Modi government” at the residences linked to Pinarayi Vijayan were entirely politically motivated. The Secretariat also referred to remarks made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a few weeks ago, questioning the delay in arresting Pinarayi Vijayan. “These ED raids raise serious questions. People want to know whether the All India Congress leadership has retreated from its earlier stand that the ED is being used as a political tool by the BJP-led central government,” the statement added.

ED is conducting raids on 10 premises in Kerala in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case. The case is that funds were diverted from the CMRL to various individuals under the guise of fake expenses, and that Veena Vijayan was one of the beneficiaries.