THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday turned down the Opposition's demand in the Assembly for a High Court-monitored CBI probe into the gold smuggling case involving the UAE consulate.
The Opposition trooped to the well of the House in protest and later boycotted Assembly proceedings after its demand, raised by Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan through a submission, was rejected.
Satheesan asked if the alleged move by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to shift further trial in the case out of the state was aimed at scuttling the probe. He said shifting the case from the ED and instituting a High Court monitored probe by CBI will help the state government prove its innocence in the case and also expose the political motive of the ED. The Leader of the Opposition said the ED was being used by the Union government to eliminate political opponents and protect those close to the ruling dispensation.
Replying to the submission, Pinarayi welcomed the Leader of the Opposition's change in stance regarding the ED. He added that the Opposition changed its position on the very day when the ED was gearing up to question Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Satheesan rejected Pinarayi's observation that the Opposition has changed its stance and said a court-monitored CBI probe has been its demand earlier as well.
Pinarayi said matters relating to the gold smuggling episode pertain to the Union list and the state government has limitations in intervening in them. The state can only ensure that it does not create any roadblocks for the ongoing probe and no such complaints have been heard from any quarters, he said.
The Chief Minister termed the CBI as a 'parrot in a cage'; and said it was just another central agency that has been misused by successive central governments including those headed by the Congress. He said it was not for the state to decide which central agency should probe the gold smuggling incident.
Following the Chief Minister's response, Opposition MLAs trooped to the well of the House and shouted slogans for around 10 minutes. However, the Speaker rushed through other legislative business prompting the protesters to boycott assembly proceedings for the day.