THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KANNUR/KOZHIKODE: Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday broke his silence soon after Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials ended marathon searches at residences linked to him and his family, accusing the BJP government of using central agencies to target political opponents and asserting that his CPI-M would collectively face the challenge, even as party workers targeted the agency officials and their vehicles.
These raids took place a day after the Kerala High Court lifted the stay in the ED probe into the CMRL-Exalogic case - the IT firm of Veena Vijayan, the daughter of Vijayan.
"Some people like (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi would be happy, as the narrative by him was why Pinarayi Vijayan is not being arrested. The BJP government has always targeted political adversaries. The Congress also took the stand that if not their leaders, then there is no issue. But we are not going to be cowed down. Our party has always stood united in such situations, and today too our comrades have proved it," Vijayan told reporters outside his residence in Thiruvananthapuram after the seven-hour-long raid ended.
"At this moment I will say only this much, though I have a lot more to say," he added.
The ED searches concluded after nearly seven hours at Vijayan's rented residence in Thiruvananthapuram, his Kannur home, and the Kozhikode residence of Beypore MLA and former minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas, husband of Veena Vijayan. In Kannur, huge crowds of CPI-M workers had gathered outside Vijayan's residence from early morning, raising slogans against the ED and the BJP-led Centre.
At Thiruvananthapuram, tensions briefly escalated during the raid after some agitated workers allegedly threw empty bottles towards central force personnel guarding the premises. (IANS)
Also Read: Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducts raids at residence of Pinarayi Vijayan in CMRL-Exalogic case