Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday called for the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and wanted the proposed CBI probe into the gold smuggling through the diplomatic route to include within its scope the Chief Minister's Office.
At a press conference held at his official residence in Thiruvananthapuram, Chennithala said the call for the chief minister's resignation had been made after discussing the issue with all the UDF leaders early in the day. Chennithala said the chief minister's principal secretary M Sivasankar had to resign after the Chief Minster's Office openly intervened to protect the accused in a smuggling case with international ramifications.
"That the Chief Minister's Office is the main accused in a smuggling case of international sweep is an extremely serious issue. This is why the UDF has demanded his resignation," the opposition leader said. He also sad that a CBI probe could be carried out effectively only if Pinarayi Vijayan stepped down from the post.
Chennithala said the Chief Minister's claim that he did not know Swapna Suresh, the woman considered the kingpin in the smuggling racket, was false. He produced photographs of Edge 2020 Space Conclave held in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31 and February 1 to demonstrate that Pinarayi knew Swapna closely.
"It was this female who had sent out the invitations (of the Space Conclave), she was the chief organiser and it was she who handed over the MoU during the function. The chief minister attended the seminar for over four hours," Chennithala said and added: "How can he now say he had no idea who the female was?"
He also wanted to know who entrusted Swapna with the crucial responsibility of conducting a conclave associated with some of the most prestigious institutions in the country like the ISRO and VSSC.
Chennithala said that no one with a monthly salary of more than Rs 1.70 lakh could be appointed to a sensitive post without the knowledge of the CMO.
In response to Pinarayi's argument that the state government had no role in what happens inside an airport, Chennithala said the police had a role when the smuggled goods were taken out. "Has the Police taken action against anyone transporting contraband even once," he asked.
He alleged that Sivasankar had sent many directives to the Home Department with the note "CM desires". "The letters the secretary sent using the executive powers of the chief minister should be investigated," Chennithala said.
The opposition leader also levelled an unverified charge that the smuggled gold was taken out of the airport in government vehicles.