THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the LDF government on a sticky wicket in the gold smuggling case, the UDF has decided to intensify its protest and all its feeder organisations have rallied behind the party demanding the resignation of the chief minister. Mahila Congress and UDF’s women committee leaders on Tuesday came out with “charge sheet” against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
As part of turning the screws on the ruling front, especially the CPM, UDF convenor Benny Behanan led a delegation to the flat complex being built at Wadakkanchery in Thrissur as part of the government’s signature Life Mission project. It has come to light that Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case, had got Rs 1 crore in commission from the contractor for awarding the Rs 20-crore project sponsored by the UAE Red Crescent. Behanan compared the incomplete flat structure to Pinarayi’s second Lavalin scam.
Behanan told TNIE that day by day, more startling revelations in the gold smuggling case are coming out, landing the Pinarayi Vijayan government in a soup. On Tuesday, several thousand Mahila Congress and UDF women committee members came out with a charge sheet announcing that Pinarayi has no right to continue in office. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala inaugurated the signature protest by the women leadership.
“Mahila Congress and UDF woman leaders have been participating in large numbers in bringing out a charge sheet against the Pinarayi Government. To our surprise, it was not only the woman leaders of the Congress and the UDF who had come forward to show their protest against Pinarayi and his government,” said Mahila Congress state president Lathika Subhash.
LDF govt steeped in graft: Chennithala
T’Puram: Following UDF convenor Benny Behanan’s allegation that the Life Mission scam is the second SNC Lavalin of CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala too hurled serious allegations at him. Chennithala sought the CM’s clarification on the other top government officials involved in the gold smuggling case other than former principal secretary M Sivasankar.
Speaking to reporters at Indira Bhavan here on Tuesday, Chennithala said the LDF government stinks and no amount of aromatic oils from all over the world will remove the stench. He said Pinarayi is bound to inform the public about the list of other top government officials allegedly involved in the gold smuggling case. The affidavit filed by ED in the court raises grave charges and media reports on the nexus between the gold smuggling case suspects and the persons involved in Life Mission scam are shocking. The government reeks of rot due to the scams it has been involved in.