Stalin Heats Up Criticism of ED Raids on Pinarayi Vijayan
MK Stalin harshly condemned Enforcement Directorate's raids on Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala. This move is seen as politicizing central investigative agencies, which DMK and CPI(M) criticized for being weaponized against opposition leaders.
Highlights
- •MK Stalin strongly condemns ED raids on former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
- •Challenges misuse of Enforcement Directorate by central agencies
- •DMK and CPI(M) raise concerns over politicization of investigative actions
- •ED searches linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case
Chennai: MK Stalin, the chief of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), unequivocally condemned Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids targeting former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday. The DMK leader argued that such actions have increasingly weaponized central investigative agencies for political purposes.
In a post made public, Stalin highlighted the growing concerns over the misuse of ED as well as the alleged hollowness of claims by some Congress leaders about Vijayan having faced similar scrutiny earlier under BJP rule. He tweeted, "Strongly condemn the Enforcement Directorate raids directed against former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Such actions once again raise serious concerns over the growing pattern of central agencies being weaponised against Opposition leaders."
Raids Underway and Background
The ED conducted searches at 10 locations across Kerala, including Vijayan's residence, in connection with the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) case. The raids followed an approval that was based on specific inputs related to controversial financial transactions linked to CMRL.
On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court declined to quash ED's ongoing investigation into the CMRL incident, which had stirred considerable political controversy during Vijayan's tenure as Chief Minister.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) also criticized the raids, calling them a symptom of central agencies being weaponized for political vendetta against opposition leaders. The party accused the BJP-led Union government of using multiple investigative entities to intimidate rivals and suppress dissent.
Both DMK and CPI(M) maintained that political entities opposing the ruling BJP and Sangh Parivar were selectively targeted through investigations, media trials, and direct raids.
