Never said I left LDF; says Anvar after Pinarayi's response

Malappuram: Nilambur MLA P V Anvar clarified on Friday that he never announced his departure from the Left Democratic Front (LDF). He stated that he would remain a parliamentary party member until he received formal directions to resign. "What I said yesterday was that I wouldn’t attend the parliamentary party meeting. If I mistakenly implied I was stepping down from the alliance, it was a slip of the tongue," Anvar said. The MLA's explanation came after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's earlier statement, in which the CM said, "Anvar's departure from the alliance was expected."

Anvar added he is set to approach the High Court to seek justice in the ongoing gold smuggling case. He demanded an independent investigation into the matter led by a sitting judge. "I will file a petition in the High Court on Monday. The CM has unfairly targeted me, reading from a script prepared by the ADGP (Law & Order) M R Ajith Kumar, which doesn't reflect the truth. My only fault was speaking directly to the public, but now the CM is accusing me of being involved in gold smuggling," Anvar stated.

He further criticised the government's approach to the issue, highlighting that many innocent people are currently imprisoned. "Why is the CM alone not convinced of this? I now place my trust entirely in the judiciary. I will request the High Court to form a special investigation team comprising the most competent officers in the state to probe these allegations," he said. "Let the team also investigate the allegations against me,” he added.

Anvar stressed that his intention is not to tarnish the party's image. Instead, he seeks to restore the party’s honour by ensuring a fair investigation into the gold smuggling cases. "If the party continues down this path, the LDF might struggle to secure even 20-25 seats in the upcoming 2026 assembly elections. It is the party’s responsibility to clean up its image well before then," he concluded.