Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: X@Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's son was reportedly issued a summons by the enforcement directorate (ED) in 2023.
According to some media reports, the summons was issued in connection with the alleged money laundering associated with an UAE agency funded housing complex construction under the state government's LIFE Mission project for providing home to the homeless.
The summons issued by ED zonal office in Kochi to 'Vivek Kiran, S/o Pinarayi Vijayan, Cliff House, TVM' has now come out. He was asked to appear at the ED office in Kochi on February 14, 2023 with bank account details and details of his assets as well as that of his family members. But Vivek, who is abroad, reportedly did not turn up and there was no information about any further action from ED against him.
Congress alleged that further actions against Vijayan's son were sabotaged as part of CPM - BJP nexus.
The bribery allegations over the UAE agency funded housing project surfaced close on the heels of the UAE gold smuggling row in which the Chief Ministers staff were also allegedly involved. Over Rs 4 crore was allegedly given as bribe to some officials at the CMO and UAE consulate for awarding the work of the UAE Red Crescent funded project at Wadakancherry in Thrissur to Unitac Builders.
The Chief Minister is yet to react to the reports in this regard.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and Congress senior leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the CPM-BJP nexus came to light with the ED's inaction on the summons.
The ED had earlier initiated a probe against Vijayan's daughter Veena T in connection with the huge payments received by her as well as her Bengaluru based IT firm from a controversial mining firm in Kerala.
Even as the Chief Minister didn't react to the reports of ED notice to his son, general education minister and CPM leader V Sivankutty came up with a defence. He said that if it was a serious case, the ED would have taken further steps. He also said the Vijayan cannot be threatened with such steps.