Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Minister K Muraleedharan on Thursday said the Congress suspected that the ED searches at the residences linked to former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan were aimed at protecting him at a time when he was facing severe criticism from within the CPI(M).

Muraleedharan reiterated that the Congress neither supported the Enforcement Directorate nor the searches conducted by the agency, and claimed that such action should have been initiated when Vijayan was serving as chief minister.

He, however, condemned the alleged attack by CPI(M) workers on vehicles carrying ED officials who had searched the former CM's rented residence in the state capital.

"Taking the law into one's hands and disrupting law and order will not be condoned by the government," said the minister, who holds the Health and Devaswom portfolios.

He further said the Congress did not need to enter into any deal to politically destroy a leader who had already been "badly defeated" by the people.

"We suspect that the ED searches were a rescue attempt as they came at a time when Vijayan was facing severe criticism from within the party," he alleged.

The ED on Thursday conducted searches at 10 premises in Kerala, including Vijayan's rented house at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram and his permanent residence in Kannur, as part of its investigation into the CMRL money laundering case involving his daughter, Veena T.

The ED probe stems from a complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) after the interim settlement board of the Income Tax Department questioned the legitimacy of certain transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and Veena's now-defunct firm.

According to the ED case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2024, CMRL allegedly paid Rs 1.72 crore to Veena's company, Exalogic Solutions, between 2017 and 2020 without receiving any services in return.