Kochi | The BJP on Thursday demanded the resignation of Pinarayi Vijayan as the Leader of Opposition in the Keralam Assembly following fresh revelations by the ED in its probe into the CMRL money laundering case involving his daughter Veena T.
BJP state vice president Shone George told reporters that the party's stand is that Vijayan should resign from the post.
George said he was repeating the words of Vijayan when corruption allegations were levelled against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy during the 2011-2016 UDF government.
"If there is any shame left... if there is any shame left, Pinarayi Vijayan should be ready to step down as Opposition Leader," he said.
George alleged that, according to information emerging now, corruption is being exposed related to transactions over the last 30 years, beginning in 1996 when Vijayan became the Electricity Minister and continuing until today.
"Every company belonging to Veena, including the latest one, Laker India, which operates out of a single-room building, were created solely to cover up Vijayan's corruption and to facilitate their transactions. None of these are operational," he alleged.
He claimed that money sent from India to the Gulf was subsequently transferred to the US.
"There is plenty of evidence for that... as I mentioned, details related to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank have come out," he said.
George said that if Vijayan did not resign, the LDF should remove him from the post.
"The CPI(M) usually conducts investigations into every issue, right? If the CPI(M) conducts a party-level investigation into this matter, we are ready to submit evidence for that party-level inquiry," he said.
He questioned why Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) transferred money to Veena without receiving any services in return.
"When the father is sitting as the Chief Minister, if money is transferred to the firm run by the daughter without providing any service, and if you still don't understand Vijayan is an accused in this, then there is something wrong with you who are listening. Other than that, I have nothing to say," he said.
George alleged that all the money received by Veena without providing any service belonged to Vijayan.
"It is a bribe given to Pinarayi Vijayan. It was obtained by selling out this state. Let me tell you, if thorium has been smuggled from this state, what you are seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg. So many thousands of crores have been smuggled from here," he alleged.
He said any smuggling of thorium from Keralam would be a matter of national security.
"What I said is, thorium, which can be used to produce uranium, is here; monazite is here. That is crude. Has that been smuggled? It is a topic that must be studied very seriously. This is also an issue of national security," he said.
George also said that despite being a BJP leader, he had not contacted Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at any stage of the investigation.
"As far as I am concerned, that is a matter of my credibility. Otherwise, what will they say tomorrow? That it is political, that it is vendetta, right? I don't want to hear any of that," he said.
Asked whether only Rs 85 lakh had been sent abroad through hawala channels, George said more details would emerge.
"What I have been saying from the beginning is that it is not just Rs 2.78 crores. Amounts far greater than that... As I said, I am personally convinced that money has come into the account at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank from all these accused companies," he said.
The ED, in a statement on Wednesday, said it had seized some "handwritten" notes during searches at Veena's premises in May, which contained details of certain fund transfers to Dubai.
The agency also claimed that digital devices seized during the searches contained a photograph of a SIM card obtained under another person's name. Veena purportedly used the SIM card to make internet-based calls, the ED said.
The money laundering case relates to Keralam-based mining company CMRL and Exalogic Solutions, a company promoted by Veena and now defunct.
The probe relates to allegations that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd without receiving any services in return.
