Speculation rife over 'big sharks' in Kerala dollar smuggling case

With the Kerala gold smuggling case accused revealing the involvement of some 'big sharks' in the dollar smuggling, the air is thick with allegations and speculations.

With reports suggesting that the 'big sharks', as termed by a court in Kochi considering the gold smuggling case, is a person associated with the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front and holding a constitutional post, the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front and BJP-led NDA have stepped up attack against the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

While Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and BJP Kerala president K Surendran demanded Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to open up and reveal the name of the VIP involved in the dollar smuggling, Vijayan said that the people could not be misled by the baseless campaigns of the Congress and the BJP against the LDF.

The BJP even went a step ahead on Tuesday with Surendran raising suspicions over the frequent foreign trips of a CPM leader holding a constitutional post. The said leader was on the defensive earlier also as video footage showing his connection with the gold smuggling accused surfaced.

It was after considering the fresh statements of gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh and P S Sarith to the Customs that the court considering economic offences said last week that the revelations about the involvement of 'big sharks' in dollar smuggling were shocking and persons holding high positions were suspected to have misused their position.

Meanwhile, putting an end to the allegations of Opposition parties that Vijayan was keeping off from active campaign for the local body elections because of the embarrassment to face the people due to the serious allegations against the government, Vijayan joined the election campaign in his home district Kannur from Monday.

The gold smuggling case has already caused much embarrassment to the government as Chief Minister's former principal secretary M Sivasankar was arrested in this connection and the Chief Minister's additional private secretary C M Raveendran is summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.