Congress, CPI(M) accuse ED of favouring BJP in Kerala hawala transaction

Thiruvananthapuram: With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) giving a clean chit to the BJP leaders allegedly involved in a Rs 3.5 crore black money transaction in Kerala, the Congress and CPI(M) alleged that the ED was deliberately helping the BJP leaders, and that the agency's credibility would be lost.

The ED filed a report at a special court in Kochi the other day, stating that the hawala money transactions just ahead of the 2021 Assembly election in Kerala were meant for a real estate transaction. This contradicts the Kerala police's earlier finding that the money was brought from Karnataka and was meant for illegal election activities in Kerala. BJP leaders, including then-state president K Surendran and BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka Lehar Singh, were allegedly involved.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that the Kerala police clearly found the BJP's links in the hawala transaction and informed the matter to the ED. Even then, the ED gave a clean chit to the BJP leaders.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress said that the ED was losing its credibility, as the central agency was taking action only against leaders of opposition parties. He also alleged that the cases initiated by the central agencies against CPI(M) leaders in Kerala were being sabotaged as part of the CPI(M)-BJP understandings.

The illegal transaction came to light following a police probe into a complaint that Rs. 25 lakh was stolen from a car in a highway heist at Kodakara in Thrissur on April 3, 2021. The probe revealed that the actual amount stolen from the car was Rs. 3.5 crore and was part of a total of Rs 41.4 crore illegally brought to the state.

The ED's finding is that the money was transacted as part of a real estate deal and had no connection with the BJP leaders or elections.