Pinarayi Vijayan | Screengrab
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said there was no need for him to respond to allegations against him each and every time regarding the gold smuggling case as his life was an open book before the public.
Vijayan's remark came in response to queries from reporters here regarding the allegations made against him and his family in the revelations by Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling through diplomatic bags case.
The CM said that similar charges were levelled before the 2021 assembly elections and there was widespread speculation regarding his involvement.
However, the probe by investigative agencies, which left no stone unturned, found nothing incriminating against him, he said and added that despite all those allegations against him, the public did not believe the same and his government was elected to power again.
"The public does not believe all this as our lives are an open book before them," he said.
Meanwhile, in a written reply to the opposition tabled in the Assemblym CM termed the allegations baseless. He said that during the five trips to Dubai after 2016, all for official purposes, he never forgot his baggage and asked anyone else to bring it to him as accused by Swapna Suresh. He also said in the written reply that he hasn't noticed the custody of Sarith under Vigilance or the involvement of the alleged middlemen Shaj Kiran. However, he said that there has been no misuse of power from the side of any official.
Back then also he had clarified how he knew Suresh and therefore, he did not see the need to keep responding to allegations regarding that every time, the CM further said in the press conference.
Regarding the allegations against his family members in connection with the gold smuggling case, Vijayan said he knows there were people actively encouraging such accusations, but was confident that it would not malign his public life as the people know the intention behind the same.
On why he did not opt for litigation if he believed the 164 statement by Suresh was not accurate, the CM said, "Let me worry about that".
The queries were posed to him during a press conference held by him in the wake of the assembly session being disrupted by the opposition and the House proceedings adjourned for the day.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan alleged that the LDF government had different rules for the different accused in the case.
He claimed that while one accused -- M Sivasankar -- was reinstated in service and permitted to write a book making revelations about the case, a case of conspiracy was lodged against Suresh for making revelations in her 164 statement.
Satheesan alleged that the CM was worried he might be implicated in the case and that is why P S Sarith, another accused in the case, was suddenly picked by Vigilance officials and his phone seized after the revelations by Suresh.
(With agency inputs)
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