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Thiruvananthapuram: The political controversy over the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons issued to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son Vivek Kiran Vijayan has escalated sharply, with state Congress president and MLA Sunny Joseph alleging that the silence of both the ED and the BJP points to a “mutual understanding” to protect the Chief Minister’s family.
Vivek is a banker in UAE.
Joseph said the Chief Minister has not only refrained from responding to the summons but has also “misled his party cadre.”
He said, “When he was asked about the ED summons, his only reply was a childish statement that his son has not even seen the rooms of the Cliff House. This is an attempt to hide the truth, as he did in the case related to his daughter’s financial transactions.”
The ED summons was reportedly sent to the official residence of the Chief Minister.
Joseph raised sharp questions over whether the summons was received and if not, whether it was redirected to the son’s current address as per procedure.
“Even CPI-M general secretary MA Baby himself admitted that there was an agreement between the ED and the state government,” Joseph said. He asked why both the ED and the Bharatiya Janata Party chose to remain silent.
“This silence is part of a larger deal to protect the Chief Minister’s family,” he alleged.
The ED notice reportedly warned that failure to appear and produce evidence would attract penal provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Congress also asked for details of bank accounts and assets.
Joseph questioned whether the summons was acted upon or it was quietly shelved and on what legal grounds.
He further referred to the earlier controversy involving the Chief Minister’s daughter, saying that despite the Chief Minister claiming that she started her company with her mother’s retirement benefits, records show that she received money from a black sand mining firm without providing any services.
“That case still exists. If there was nothing to hide, why did he approach the Karnataka High Court?” Joseph asked.
Joseph said, “The chief minister may mislead party workers, but the fact is that his daughter acquired property to which she was not entitled. No amount of justification can change that.” He demanded that both ED and BJP clarify their stand on this issue.
–IANS