THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to grill former IT secretary M Sivasankar in Kochi on Monday in the gold smuggling case, the ruling front is in a precarious political position. If the NIA arrests or arraigns him in the case, the LDF will have to fight it out to save its skin.
The NIA has summoned Sivasankar to its Kochi office as it wants to get more details from him. He has been maintaining that he was not aware of the links Swapna Suresh, Sandeep Nair and Sarith P S had with gold smuggling and their underhand deals.
But it’s difficult to believe that he was fully ignorant about the shady deals of the accused, who had been making use of his apartment and influence for their illegal activity as he was also the secretary of the chief minister. The CPM has been trying to distance itself from him ever since his name cropped up in connection with the case.
A senior party leader told TNIE that the party has made it clear that if someone has erred in their professional and personal life, the person will have to pay the price. “If the Opposition tries to capitalise on the issue beyond a particular point, the party knows well to deal with it,” he said. Sivasankar had been close to the chief minister, but he had also been close to the previous government. It is expected that the party would highlight his previous dealings, especially the long-term power purchase agreements signed with three companies without the mandatory Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission approval in 2015 when he was at the helm of KSEB.
The postponement of the assembly session and LDF meeting scheduled on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, has a direct bearing on this case. However, party sources clarified that the investigating agencies have so far not used the case politically to tarnish the image of the state government.
Politics didn’t influence probe
Sources with the LDF clarified that the investigating agencies have so far not used the case politically to tarnish the image of the state government.