Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kasaragod: Responding to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's allegations about probes by central agencies into "non-Congress" parties, the Congress on Monday pointed out that their top leaders have also been subjected to investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and others.
Shortly after Vijayan accused the Congress of demanding an ED probe into the Delhi liquor excise policy case, V D Satheesan, Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, sought to sidestep the allegation, but stated that the Chief Minister was ignorant of the legal challenges faced by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and P Chidambaram during the BJP rule.
"The ED had interrogated Sonia Gandhi, who was facing health issues, for hours, and Rahul Gandhi for days. The central agency personnel arrested and jailed former minister P Chidambaram in the night by jumping the compound wall of his house. Karnataka deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had also been jailed," Satheesan said during a press conference here.
He also rubbished Vijayan's remarks that Rahul Gandhi had not paid much attention in riot-hit Manipur.
The fight showcased by Gandhi against the Sangh Parivar was "unique and beyond comparison," he said.
The RSS had filed 16 cases in 12 states against Gandhi, he said, and questioned if they had filed any such case against any CPI (M) leader.
Despite this, Vijayan was saying that the Centre was targeting non-Congress opposition parties only, he said and wondered if the CM knew about these incidents.
The LoP further charged that the central agencies have not made any crucial breakthroughs in Kerala.
Despite "grave evidence" against the CPI(M) and its leaders, the central agencies' probe had not reached anywhere in the gold smuggling and Life Mission cases, the cooperative bank scam, and the illegal financial transaction where the CM's daughter is allegedly involved, he claimed.
Countering Vijayan's criticism of Rahul Gandhi, Satheesan said the Congress leader had gone to the conflict-hit streets of Manipur, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had not visited, and consoled the women and children there.
"Is the CM yet to know about it? Even children in the country know about Rahul Gandhi's visit to Manipur," the senior leader added.
Chief Minister Vijayan on Monday had appealed to the Congress to introspect their stand on attacking non-Congress parties across the country, while referring to their opinion on the Delhi liquor excise policy case.
"It was the Congress which raised the allegation against the Delhi government. It was the Congress which filed a complaint in that regard, paving the way for a probe by the Enforcement Directorate," Vijayan alleged in a press meet here.
The chief minister alleged that when former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested, the Congress clamoured for Kejriwal's arrest.
He also accused Rahul Gandhi of staying silent on the CAA issue and questioned the appropriateness in him contesting from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency against CPI leader Annie Raja.