The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala is surprisingly silent despite gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh firing salvos and tarnishing the image of party strongman and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family.
On Thursday, 9 March, Swapna alleged that she was offered ₹30 crore to withdraw the allegations she had levelled against Vijayan and his family.
The offer, she said, was made through an intermediary. Besides Vijayan, his wife Kamala, daughter Veena, and son Vivek Kiran, Swapna also targeted MV Govindan, the state secretary of the CPI(M), who, so far, has been maintaining a clean image.
Veena is the wife of PA Mohammad Riyas, the minister for public works and tourism.
Swapna went live on Facebook from Bengaluru to make the allegations.
As expected, Swapna’s latest allegation gave extra ammunition to the Opposition Congress and the BJP to step up their attacks on the CPI(M), Vijayan and the ruling LDF in the state.
Govindan refuses comment
Swapna accused Govindan of sending the intermediary and issuing a death threat if she did not accept the settlement deal.
She made the charge even as the state secretary has been leading a statewide Janakeeya Prathirodha Jatha — or People’s Defence Rally — against the several allegations that are being levelled against the party, and to rejuvenate the cadre.
When reporters contacted Govindan — now leading the jatha in the Idukki district — he refused to comment.
Immediately after taking charge as the party’s state secretary on 28 August, 2022, 69-year-old Govindan declared that he would initiate a cleanliness drive, expunging bourgeoise tendencies, corruption and manipulation from the party.
Despite the Congress and BJP clamouring for responses from Vijayan and Govindan, not even a single state leader has so far countered Swapna.
The defence of the party’s unofficial cyber warriors, too, has been unusually muted, with many merely questioning Swapna’s credibility.
Swapna’s latest allegations have further dented the second Vijayan government’s image since she made them when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the chief minister’s additional private secretary, CM Raveendran, for the third time in connection with the LIFE Mission scam.
Incidentally, Swapna exposed the scam while she was interrogated for allegedly smuggling gold through diplomatic channels.
Raveendran, a CPI(M) leader from north Kerala, is a confidant of Vijayan.
Speculation is rife in Kerala that the ED is trying to reach the chief minister through Raveendran.
Related: ED urges SC to transfer Kerala gold-smuggling case to Karnataka
Why no defamation suit?
Interestingly, Swapna’s fresh allegations comes almost six months after she had accused three senior CPI(M) leaders of seeking sexual favours.
In October last, Swapana alleged that former finance minister TM Thomas Isaac, former Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran and former speaker P Sreeramakrishnan had sought sexual favours. She made the charges in television interviews.
Isaac and Surendran were ministers in the first Vijayan government during 2016- 2021.
Swapna’s allegations, expectedly, created an uproar in the state. Govindan told the media that the party had permitted the three leaders to file defamation cases against Swapna and the channels that telecast the interview.
Interestingly, no defamation suit was filed.
While Surendran told the media that he was not interested in waging a legal battle with Swapna, Isaac and Sreeramakrishnan preferred to keep mum.
“It’s quite intriguing that a party like CPIM), which stands for integrity and transparency in public life, is silent over the repeated allegations of Swapna,” Joseph C Mathew, political observer and former advisor to CPI(M) veteran and the then chief minister VS Achuthanandan, said.
“If the party had properly responded to the allegation against the former ministers and filed defamation suits, as informed by Govindan, the present crisis could have been averted,” he told South First.
“The adage, even Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion, also applies to politicians. The party has to respect the electorate at least by issuing a statement explaining its stand on the issue,” he added.
The Kannur connection and settlement offer
Swapna claimed that she had complained to central agencies probing the gold smuggling case and the LIFE Mission scam about the threat to her life and the monetary offer to settle the case.
She alleged that she received a call from an unknown number on 2 February. The caller identified himself as Vijay Pillai, a lawyer from Kannur, the home district of Vijayan and Govindan.
Pillai requested to meet her at a Bengaluru hotel to explore the possibilities of making a web series on her life.
Swapna said she realised that Pillai was a messenger from Govindan during the meeting and he intended to initiate a reconciliation talk.
Initially, Pillai reportedly told her to relocate to Haryana or Jaipur with her children and keep a low profile.
“That person wanted me to hand over all documents and evidence I have against Veena, Kamala and Vijayan. He also wanted access to my cloud storage to destroy evidence stored,” Swapna claimed.
“Pillai told me that party secretary Govindan had said that my life would be in danger if I did not obey what has been told to me,” she added.
Related: ED seizes ₹2.51 crore worth of gold in Kerala smuggling scam
‘Apologise and flee’
According to Swapna, the intermediary wanted her to make a public apology for raising allegations against Vijayan and his family, before moving to Malaysia or the UK and starting a new life abroad.
“He promised ₹30 crore for all these and said Govindan will extend all help to start my life afresh outside the country,” she alleged.
She also released images of the said meeting and added that she had complained to the Karnataka Police, supported by call logs and screenshots of related WhatsApp chats.
Meanwhile, Pillai has not denied meeting her. He told television channels that he met Swapna to discuss the possibilities of a web series since he has been a multimedia producer. He claimed he had seen Govindan only in newspapers and television.
“I met her in a hotel lobby and there is no secret about it,” he said.
Swapna made the latest allegations a day after she “wished” all women in Vijayan’s family on International Women’s Day, saying they should also share the burden she has been carrying.
Poetic justice, says Congress
According to political observers, the developments are identical to those during the last phase of the Oommen Chandy government in 2011-2016.
Vijayan and other CPI(M) leaders then stood by the solar scam accused Saritha Nair, who accused Chandy and several other Congress leaders of sexually and financially exploiting her.
The CPI(M) widely used the solar scam during the Assembly polls in 2016, which ended in Vijayan assuming power. After several police, CBI and judicial commission investigations, Saritha’s allegations remain unvalidated.
Most Congress leaders, including Chandy, were given clean chits by the investigating agencies and the courts.
“We see the latest developments as poetic justice. Those who engaged in the character assassination of Chandy using unsubstantiated claims by Saritha are now feeling the heat of Swapna’s aggressive postures,” KPCC president K Sudhakaran told South First.
“Unlike Saritha, Swapna is remaining firm on her allegations and has never withdrawn any of them. The ruling party and its leaders have no explanations. Why are Vijayan and his family members not filing defamation suits against Swapna if the allegations are false,” he asked.
