Kerala govt had no info on ED raid at Vijayan's home: Chennithala

Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala says the state govt had no info on the ED raid at Pinarayi Vijayan's home. He alleged a BJP-CPM nexus, while the CPM slammed the raid, calling it a 'political vendetta' by the central government.

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday said the United Democratic Front (UDF) government and the Home Ministry in the state had no information regarding the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raid at former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's residence.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the ED had not sought any support from the Keralam government for the operation and maintained that details regarding the action should be clarified by the investigating agency itself.

"The Keralam government or the Home Ministry has no information about this raid. They did not seek our support either, so we do not know the details of the operation. This question needs to be posed to the ED," Chennithala said.

Chennithala alleges BJP-CPM 'understanding'

The Keralam Home Minister further alleged that there had been an "understanding" between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He also asserted that his party had consistently opposed both the BJP and the CPM. "Everybody in Keralam knows there was an understanding between the BJP and the CPM. What happened to that understanding now? They have to tell the people of Keralam. We do not have any relationship with the BJP. We are fighting the BJP. We fought against both the BJP and the CPM, and we came to power," he added.

ED raids linked to CMRL case

ED conducted searches at 10 premises in Keralam, including the residences of former Keralam Chief Minister and Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan, in the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case. Officials said the raids were underway from early Wednesday, covering all the locations based on specific inputs against the accused linked to the controversial CMRL financial transactions case that had rocked Keralam politics during the tenure of Vijayan.

ED's action comes a day after the Keralam High Court on Tuesday refused to quash the agency's investigation into the CMRL case.

CPI(M) slams raid as 'political vendetta'

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) on Tuesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate's raid on the residence of former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was "yet another example" of central agencies being "weaponised" for political vendetta against opposition leaders.

In a strongly worded statement shared on X, the party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of using agencies like the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department to intimidate political rivals and suppress dissent.

On X, CPI(M) wrote, "The ED raid on the residence of former Keralam Chief Minister and CPI(M) PB Member Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan is yet another stark example of how central agencies are being weaponised for political vendetta. Leaders who consistently challenge the BJP-led Union government and refuse to submit to Sangh Parivar politics are being targeted through intimidation, media trials, and selective investigations. When political opponents cannot be defeated democratically, the BJP resorts to ED, CBI, and Income Tax raids to harass and silence dissent."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)