Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate's (ED) intensified investigation into the controversial CMRL-Exalogic financial transactions case, involving T Veena, daughter of former Kerala chief minister and current Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, has reignited a fierce political debate.
Critics are accusing the CPM of executing "double standards" when dealing with corruption and financial misconduct allegations leveled against the family members of its top brass.
The controversy centers on the stark contrast between the party's current aggressive defense of Veena Vijayan and the detached stance it adopted in 2020 during the ED's probe into Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son of the late CPM stalwart and former state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
When the central agency raided Bineesh Kodiyeri's residence in 2020 while his father held the topmost organisational post in the state, the senior leader publicly distanced both himself and the party from his son's legal woes.
"Bineesh is not a public worker. If he has done anything wrong, let the highest punishment be given," Balakrishnan had stated at the time, firmly insisting that the party would not meddle in a personal legal matter.
Pinarayi Vijayan, who was the Chief Minister at the time, had also maintained a highly cautious approach. He stated that no definitive conclusions could be drawn without knowing what evidence the investigating agency held, adding that the family concerned would deal with any established wrongdoing through appropriate legal channels.
However, with the ED probe now knocking on the doors of his own daughter and residence, the CPM's strategy has undergone a dramatic shift.
Within hours of the ED conducting searches at locations linked to Veena and her firm, Exalogic Solutions, party cadres launched street protests, emergency meetings were convened, and top leaders mounted a fierce political counter-offensive against the central agency.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan slammed the ED's actions, calling it the final political weapon deployed in a motivated attempt to systematically destroy Pinarayi Vijayan and the party.
The political optics became even more complex when Bineesh Kodiyeri himself was spotted among the CPM workers protesting outside Vijayan's residence during the recent raid.
"Pinarayi's family is also my party family. This is not the time to think about how others reacted when I faced problems," Bineesh told reporters.
The ED has so far frozen approximately ₹18.36 crore across 242 bank accounts linked to the ongoing case. Digital evidence, financial records and Veena Vijayan's mobile phone were also seized during coordinated raids executed across Kerala and Bengaluru.
Ironically, while Bineesh Kodiyeri was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court in 2023, his repeated requests to have his CPM party membership restored have still not been approved by the state leadership.
IANS