Central agencies can’t tarnish our govt’s image: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram, March 6 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the Central agencies, especially the Customs and the Enforcement Directorate, claiming that they cannot tarnish the image of the Left government in the state, which is like an open book.
“Everybody knows that with Assembly elections round the corner, the Central agencies are trying their best to put pressure on the government. But the image of the Left government in Kerala cannot be tarnished by these agencies,” Vijayan said.
Vijayan’s remarks followed the surfacing of a statement about Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, by the Customs and another by Sumit Kumar, Customs Commissioner (Preventive), which could spell trouble for the Chief Minister, three of his Cabinet colleagues and Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan.
The statement about Suresh, which surfaced in the media on Friday, read: “Her close connection with the Chief Minister and his principal secretary and a personal staff was also revealed by her. She has also stated with clarity about smuggling of foreign currency at the instance of the Chief Minister and the Speaker with the help of the Consulate. She has also clearly stated about the improper and illegal activities of three ministers of the state cabinet and the Speaker. She has further stated about the involvement and the kickbacks received by high-profile persons from various deals.
“She has stated that she is aware of all these transactions and was a witness to the same as she is well versed in Arabic language and hence was forced to act as the translator between the above said persons and the persons of Middle East origin in all their crucial interactions.” The Customs statement, which is before the high court, added, “The role of the former principal secretary (M. Sivasankar) in acting as the link between the high-profile politicians of Kerala and the UAE Consulate officials as well as some others and in coordinating the illegal financial dealings under the cover of various activities and projects of the state government was also revealed by her.”