Kerala gold smuggling case: Union minister sits on hunger strike, demands Kerala CM's resignation
Minister of State for External Affairs and BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Sunday sat on a hunger strike here demanding the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging that he sheltered anti-nationals by helping them in gold smuggling.
Muraleedharan's fast came a day after the Kerala BJP unit held protests in connection with the case of gold smuggling using diplomatic baggage in which accused were linked to former Principal Secretary M Shivasankaran.
The protest was inaugurated by BJP National General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao who alleged that Vijayan has become "don of corruption".
"The whole country is witnessing the corruption in the Left government in Kerala. The Chief Minister is acting as if he is not aware of anything. Like in Tamil and Telugu films, the Chief Minister will emerge as the villain in the climax," Rao alleged.
Rao also claimed that the Chief Minister's Office was aware of the gold smuggling. "The gold smuggling case is linked to both terrorism and corruption. The case is of indulging in economic terrorism. The funding of protests like those against Citizenship Amendment Act were funnelled through gold smuggling," he claimed.
Muraleedharan said one of accused Swapna Suresh had submitted fake degree certificates for the job in the government. "The Chief Minister has betrayed the country by allowing space for those indulged in gold smuggling and anti-national activities. Vijayan should resign," he added.
The Kerala government had denied helping any accused in the gold smuggling case. It had also said that Shivasankaran was suspended and removed from the posts of Chief Minister's Principal Secretary and IT Secretary soon after his links with the accused emerged.
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