Thiruvananthapuram | Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday alleged that the ED searches at his premises were part of a targeted crackdown against opposition leaders across the country.
Enforcement Directorate officials conducted hours-long searches at his rented residence at Bakery Junction in connection with the alleged CMRL monthly payment case.
Speaking to reporters after the officials left, Vijayan said such actions would not weaken him or the CPI(M).
"This is only a beginning. Nobody should harbour the illusion that such actions can intimidate or weaken us," he said, raising a clenched fist in greeting to party workers gathered outside.
The veteran CPI(M) leader alleged that the BJP-led Centre has been using central agencies against opposition leaders ever since it came to power, and claimed the action against him was also part of that strategy.
He further alleged that the searches may provide "mental satisfaction" to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claiming Gandhi had repeatedly questioned why his residence had not been searched and why he had not been arrested.
Claiming that opposition leaders across the country were facing similar action from central agencies, Vijayan alleged that the Congress was maintaining silence over ED proceedings against leaders of other parties.
A Politburo member of the CPI(M), Vijayan, said ED officials arrived at his residence around 7 am, and the searches continued for several hours.
He said the officials who conducted the searches were acting on directions from their higher authorities and were bound to carry out those orders.
"The ED officials who arrived here behaved courteously. Whether they found any documents or evidence is for them to say," he said.
The Left leader also claimed the raid had not happened all of a sudden, and that the ED had been attempting to carry out such action for quite some time.
Referring to the protests by CPI(M) workers outside his residence during the searches, Vijayan said party workers and supporters had expressed their emotions against the ED action.
He said party workers had always stood firmly with him whenever "political enemies" tried to destroy him, and added that the support extended now showed there was "no wavering" among them.
"We can face all this together," he added.
The ED action is linked to allegations that Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) paid Rs 1.72 crore to Exalogic Solutions, owned by Vijayan's daughter T Veena, between 2018 and 2019, without receiving any services in return.
Officials said searches were conducted at around 10 premises across Kerala under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The searches came a day after the Kerala High Court dismissed a plea by CMRL seeking to quash the ED proceedings in the case.
