THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dismissed allegations raised by UDF convenor Adoor Prakash, who had linked the Chief Minister’s political secretary P Sasi to reports that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft had summoned him for questioning.
Pinarayi countered that the Congress leader was resorting to such claims only because he had no answers to pertinent questions regarding his own connection with the gold theft accused. He reiterated his suspicion that the Congress leader had played a role in facilitating a meeting between the accused and Sonia Gandhi.
“We have seen the picture of the accused and Adoor Prakash standing with Sonia Gandhi. Adoor Prakash says he had no role in the meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Unnikrishnan Potti. Is he the kind of person who should go if Potti calls him? How can such fraudsters reach a political leader like Sonia Gandhi?” Pinarayi asked, calling on the Congress party to provide an explanation.
The Chief Minister also defended the SIT’s decision to question former minister Kadakampally Surendran in connection with the Sabarimala gold robbery. “The SIT will have to seek clarity on many matters. It is up to them to decide who to question. The SIT does not inform in advance who is being questioned,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction with the functioning of the SIT, Pinarayi noted that the investigation is being conducted under the supervision of the High Court.
“The SIT is performing its duties well. The Chief Minister or his office is not interfering in any way. It was our proposal that the investigation should be conducted under the supervision of the High Court,” he said at a press conference. When asked about the delay in taking action against former TDB president A Padmakumar, the Chief Minister responded that it was not a matter for him to answer.