Kerala CM defends political secretary against Left MLA Anvar's attacks

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 21 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday strongly backed his political secretary, P Sasi, who has faced constant attacks from Left independent MLA P V Anvar.

Sharply criticising Anvar for continuously holding press conferences to criticise Sasi and ADGP M R Ajithkumar, the CM described the Nilambur legislator as someone not with a Leftist background but rather as having come from the Congress party.

Vijayan said Sasi is a member of the CPI(M) state committee and he is carrying out exemplary work as his political secretary as per the party directive.

"There was no wrongdoing on his part. No matter who says otherwise, all such claims can be dismissed with contempt, and no investigation is required into these matters," Vijayan told a press conference reacting to queries regarding Anvar's allegations.

Anvar has continued to keep the Chief Minister's Office on edge by intensifying his attack against Ajithkumar and Sasi, raising various issues.

On Friday, Anvar alleged that Sasi helped create the impression that Vijayan was responsible for delaying the Vigilance investigation into Ajithkumar regarding his complaint of accepting bribes and misappropriating wealth.

The chief minister said Sasi is not there to accept and act on complaints from Anvar or others without scrutiny.

"He is there to ensure that due process is followed. If he were to act otherwise, neither Sashi nor anyone else would be able to hold office," Vijayan said.

He emphasised that illegal demands would not be entertained by his office, and those who reject such requests cannot be removed.

Vijayan also expressed his displeasure at Anvar for raising the allegations in public, stating that the Left-backed MLA should have approached the party or the chief minister before going to the media.

"A person who is part of the Left Front should have approached the party first or brought the incident to the chief minister's attention. This was not the expected behaviour of a Left Front worker," Vijayan said.

Regarding the gold smuggling allegations against the police raised by Anvar, the CM said that a probe has been ordered, but actions that demoralise the police force cannot be accepted. He provided details on the smuggled gold seized by the police over the last three years.

In 2022, he noted, 98 cases were registered, resulting in the seizure of 79.9 kg of smuggled gold. In 2023, there were 61 registered cases, with 48.7 kg of gold apprehended. This year, 26 cases have been registered, leading to the seizure of 18.1 kg of gold.

"A total of 147.79 kg of gold was seized in the last three years, of which 124.47 kg was taken from Malappuram district alone. Since 2020, a total of Rs 122.5 crore in hawala money has been seized, with Rs 87.22 crore coming from Malappuram. These figures indicate that a significant amount of seized gold and hawala transactions are occurring through Karipur Airport," Vijayan said.

He said that it is the government's responsibility to put an end to these issues.

Citing reports from the police, Vijayan noted that the reduction in the weight of seized gold when it reaches the court is purely technical.

"Some people smuggle gold hidden in their garments, while others mix it with different substances. When the gold is seized, the weight is calculated along with the items used to conceal it. However, once the gold is extracted, the weight changes," Vijayan explained.

Nevertheless, he emphasised that this does not mean the allegations will go uninvestigated. "All allegations will be probed and strict action will be taken against the culprits," Vijayan said. PTI