New Delhi: The BJP on Friday demanded the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the gold smuggling case, alleging that those accused in the case are "hand in glove" with the people in power.

Union minister and Kerala BJP leader V Muraleedharan, in a press conference, said that the moral authority of the chief minister is lost. The BJP and the people of Kerala have been demanding that the chief minister should resign owning moral responsibility of the whole incident, he said.

“The Left government in the state had first asked the Centre to order a probe into the matter and has now moved court against the CBI, claiming that agency does not have the authority to investigate. This shows that those involved in smuggling gold are hand-in-glove with those in power,” he added.

Vijayan has been changing his stand on the matter from the day the case was registered and accused were arrested, Muraleedharan claimed.

The BJP leader also claimed that efforts have been made to destroy the evidence in the case. He also mentioned that a fire incident in a government department is allegedly linked to the case. 

On July 5, around 30 kg of gold was seized from Thiruvananthapuram airport after the precious metal was found camouflaged in diplomatic baggage. 

The NIA, CBI and the ED are probing various angles of the case. Several people, including two former employees of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, have been arrested by central agencies in connection with the case.

(With PTI inputs)