THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What has come out so far in the gold smuggling case is only the tip of the iceberg, said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday. A day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came down heavily on him, Chennithala shot back alleging that the Left government has become synonymous with gold smuggling.
On Monday, Pinarayi in his press meet had expressed surprise at Chennithala disowning the views of the AICC leadership. Pinarayi had also alleged that the Congress and BJP were hand in glove.
A peeved Chennithala retaliated, saying it is Pinarayi who is trying to hoodwink the people. Chennithala said the WhatsApp messages shared between Sivasankar and his chartered accountant Venugopal are shocking. With this, the role of the Chief Minister's Office in the gold smuggling case has become crystal clear, said the Opposition leader.
Chennithala said even if Pinarayi comes out with personal attacks against him, he will continue relentlessly to expose the corrupt practices of the LDF government.
"There is a party secretary who comes up with regular lies. He has company in the form of the Chief Minister who also comes out with lies. A tainted Jaleel, Kadakampally who went to the Middle East seeking a job for his son, Koduvally independent MLA Karat Razak and CPM councillor Karat Faizal's links shows their involvement in the gold smuggling case. The CMO has been used for hawala transactions and gold smuggling which are only the tip of the iceberg," said Chennithala.
He also wanted to know why Pinarayi dared not utter a word against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his four and a half years in office. The Opposition leader alleged that with more incriminating evidence coming against the LDF government every day, Pinarayi is indulging in a cover-up. With the revelation of Sandeep Nair's wife, it has become clear that the gold smuggling was done for the Koduvally gang.
"Who is having close nexus with the Koduvally gang? It is none other than CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. It should be recalled how he had travelled in his Mini Cooper during his Kerala Yatra. But he is not going to escape from the eyes of the people,” added Chennithala.
He also blamed SC/ST development minister A K Balan for not visiting the parents of the Walayar girls despite being a legislator in Palakkad district.