Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala, MLA, has voiced strong accusations regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) stalled investigation into Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son, Vivek Kiran. Chennithala claims that the lack of progress since Vivek Kiran was summoned in 2023 for the LIFE Mission money-laundering case is a direct consequence of an “unholy nexus” between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing reporters on Saturday, Mr. Chennithala asserted that the Chief Minister’s son appears to receive preferential treatment, which he attributes to an alleged clandestine relationship between Mr. Vijayan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We are all familiar with the repercussions for individuals who fail to respond to ED summons. We’ve witnessed this repeatedly in other cases,” Chennithala stated passionately. “However, in this particular instance, the Chief Minister’s son was summoned, he did not appear, and yet, no further action has been initiated. This points to a glaring ‘special privilege’ seemingly afforded to one individual, a privilege that clearly arises from the unholy alliance between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” He further emphasized that the frequent meetings between the Chief Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah add to these serious concerns.
Chennithala highlighted the LIFE Mission project as being deeply entrenched in massive corruption, involving vast sums of money. “There were undeniable instances of money laundering, and the very act of the ED issuing summons indicates the Chief Minister’s son’s alleged involvement,” he declared. He recalled that former Wadakkanchery MLA Anil Akkara consistently brought up the corruption within the LIFE Mission project, both within and outside the legislative assembly.
“As the Opposition leader, I too addressed this issue in numerous press conferences,” Mr. Chennithala continued. “Yet, because of this alleged CPI(M)-BJP connection, both the infamous gold smuggling case and the money-laundering investigation simply evaporated. The entire probe seemingly concluded with the arrest of the Chief Minister’s then-Principal Secretary M. Sivasankar, with no further questioning or investigation of any other individuals. The inquiry abruptly ceased.”