ED taking up cases with political motive and bias, claims CPI(M) Keralam secretary M.V. Govindan

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CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan addressing a public meeting at Muthalakkulam Ground in Kozhikode on Sunday evening. | Photo Credit: K. Ragesh

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is taking up cases with a political motive and bias to target leaders of Opposition parties in the country, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Keralam State secretary M.V. Govindan has alleged.

He was opening a public meeting titled ‘The politics of ED’ here on Sunday evening to explain the party’s position related to the recent ED searches on the premises of the friends and acquaintances of P.A. Mohamed Riyas, Beypore MLA and CPI(M) State secretariat member. The searches were part of an investigation into the alleged financial transactions between the now-defunct Exalogic Solutions Private Ltd. owned by Mr. Riyas’ wife T. Veena, who is the daughter of Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan, and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. in an alleged pay-off case.

Mr. Govindan claimed that in the past 12 years, after the BJP came to power at the Centre, the ED had been registering cases not based on facts, but for political reasons. “They first set a political target and then start the investigation to find evidence. Almost 95% of the accused in cases filed by the ED belong to Opposition parties,” he said. To prove his point, Mr. Govindan cited the examples of senior journalist Prabir Purkayastha, the founder of Newsclick; and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who were initially implicated by the agency and later acquitted by courts citing lack of evidence.

He also claimed that financial misappropriation charges against BJP leaders were not being pursued. Mr. Govindan said that the ED was not interested in investigating the Kodakara highway heist case and the charges of misappropriation of election funds, which involved BJP functionaries.

“There are also some leaders, such as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who were initially with the Congress and the All-India Trinamool Congress, respectively, but shifted their loyalties to join the BJP when faced with ED cases. Subsequently, the cases also vanished,” the CPI(M) leader said.

Mr. Govindan claimed that the ED had registered around 5,900 cases in the past 12 years and 7,450 raids were conducted across the country. However, chargesheets were filed in only 9% of them and the number of convictions was only 25. “The agency is trying to create a smokescreen around our leaders to tarnish their reputation among the people. Strange press releases with baseless claims are being issued on a regular basis. A section of the news media is going to town about it also,” he said.

The CPI(M) leader claimed that the ED was now deliberately attempting to extend the case involving Ms. Veena to Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Riyas and CPI(M) leaders such as P. Nikhil. “They are now targeting Mr. Riyas’ friends because the searches conducted at Mr. Vijayan’s residences and Mr. Riyas’ house earlier this year did not yield any evidence.