KOZHIKODE: A press release purportedly misattributed to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan about smuggled gold and hawala cash getting into the state’s predominantly Muslim Malappuram district for “anti-national” actions snowballed on Wednesday right into a full-blown political slugfest, with Congress alleging that narratives often spun by the Sangh Parivar had been now popping out of the Left’s mouth.
Vijayan’s clarification on the context of his remarks about gold smuggling, revealed as a part of a current interview to an English newspaper, did little to stem the barrage of criticism coming his manner. Indian Union Muslim League nationwide common secretary and legislator P Okay Kunhalikutty termed it a “deliberate” act to malign Malappuram.
Congress MLA and chief of the opposition V D Satheesan demanded to know if the LDF govt would sue the PR company linked to the interview if the CM was certainly misquoted. Youth Congress filed a police grievance alleging “incitement of hatred and violence” over the controversy.
Governor Arif M Khan mentioned he would write to the CM, in search of a proof for holding his workplace in the dead of night about gold smuggling and hawala cash seized in Malappuram getting used to wage conflict towards the state.
The controversial interview quoted Vijayan as saying that 150kg of smuggled gold and hawala cash totalling Rs 123 crore meant for “anti-state” and “anti-national” actions had been confiscated over the previous 5 years within the district, the place over 68% of the inhabitants is Muslim.
CM Vijayan clarified on Tuesday that he didn’t make any comment blaming any explicit district or non secular neighborhood. He mentioned at an occasion that the one event he spoke about this was at a presser, mentioning gold seizures at Karipur airport, which is in Malappuram.
“It’s a indisputable fact that 123.9kg of gold was seized in 156 situations at Karipur airport, constituting nearly all of gold seized within the state. Moreover, Rs 87 crore out of the Rs 122 crore in hawala cash confiscated within the state was in Malappuram,” he mentioned, flaying alleged makes an attempt by some quarters to color CPM as “communal”.
“I’ve needed to give out all these particulars as makes an attempt are a part of an agenda to create misunderstanding amongst individuals and divide them alongside non secular strains. Such efforts will not succeed.”
The CM additionally hit out at Nilambur MLA PV Anvar, who not too long ago stop LDF after levelling a litany of allegations towards the CM. He accused Anvar of performing with an agenda and folks of the state would realise the heinous makes an attempt being made to inject non secular hatred by creating misunderstanding.
“The very part that he thinks would come to his aspect by way of such efforts can be the primary to disown him. One shouldn’t assume that they will hire out their tongue simply because some communal forces are behind them, they usually can painting CPM and its leaders as communal. That’s wishful considering,” Vijayan added.
Alluding to Anvar’s allegations towards law enforcement officials on gold seizures made outdoors Karipur airport, Vijayan requested why some individuals had been feeling the warmth when gold smugglers and hawala operatives had been being nabbed.
“Can anyone say that gold smuggling and hawala operations are patriotic acts and police ought to flip a blind eye to them? Police are performing on powers entrusted to them. I’m not responding to points raised not too long ago with a particular agenda, however we realise it’s aimed toward destroying the mechanism we’ve. It’s straightforward to search out out for whom that is being accomplished and who’s behind it,” he mentioned.
Vijayan mentioned CPM was not a celebration that took choices primarily based on somebody’s road rants and disparaging remarks. “The social gathering will not approve something that’s unsuitable, and nobody ought to assume that the social gathering might be dragged into wrongdoings,” he mentioned. The CM, nevertheless, mentioned the govt. had taken the MLA’s allegations severely and directed the state police chief to look into them.
“We now have mentioned that actions will likely be taken as soon as the investigation is accomplished. However he (Anvar) got here out with a distinct agenda,” he added.
