Shashi Tharoor Denies Congress Involvement in ED Raids on Kerala CM
Tharoor Refutes CPI(M) Allegations
On Wednesday, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor publicly dismissed claims made by the CPI(M) regarding the party's involvement in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids linked to former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. These allegations arose after CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas asserted that the opposition party had actively encouraged the actions of the central agency. Brittas expressed his strong condemnation of the ED's aggressive raids on Vijayan, labeling it as a calculated misuse of central agencies aimed at harassing political opponents.
In response, Tharoor labeled the accusations against Congress as baseless. He took to social media to state that there was no evidence supporting Brittas's claims. Tharoor emphasized that the Congress-led government in Kerala commenced its term with a spirit of cooperation, highlighting that Vijayan was given a respectful seat during the new government's oath-taking ceremony. He also noted that Chief Minister V D Satheesan personally visited Vijayan's residence after assuming office, questioning whether Brittas believed such collaboration was possible.
CPI(M) Calls Raids Politically Motivated
These remarks come amid a political uproar following the ED's raids related to the alleged CMRL money laundering case involving Vijayan and his daughter, Veena Vijayan. CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby condemned the raids as a 'disgraceful attack,' asserting that they were politically motivated. Speaking in Delhi, Baby claimed that the CPI(M) would demonstrate to the public that the purpose of the raids was to intimidate the party. He further alleged that leaders from the Congress-led UDF had repeatedly questioned why no action had been taken against Vijayan by the central agency previously, expressing uncertainty about their satisfaction following these raids.
Senior CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan went further, alleging that these searches were part of a 'joint campaign' between Congress and the BJP, following a meeting between Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.