Thiruvananthapuram
Investigative pressure turning to their sons has triggered a fight between two top leaders of the ruling CPI-M, with one of them preparing to lodge a complaint with the party leadership.
The leaders are Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the Kerala party secretary, and EP Jayarajan, senior minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan govt. Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of the party secy, has already undergone a round of questioning by the Narcotic Control Bureau in the drug peddling involving the film and music industry in Bengaluru.
With the central agencies investigating the gold smuggling having unearthed links between gold smuggling and the drug racket, with its clear hawala angle, Bineesh Kodiyeri is now facing questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Even as the central agencies were probing Kodiyeri’s son, causing him much embarrassment, the NIA launched a probe against the son of EP Jayarajan on the basis of a photograph of his son with the gold smuggling kingpin Swapna Suresh.
The agency is probing the recipient of a major part of the Rs4 crore commission paid in the state government’s Life Mission deal with the UAE charity Red Crescent for providing Rs20 crore for the construction of an apartment complex. Opposition parties have alleged the beneficiary is none other than Jayson, the minister’s son.
The minister and his family believe the offending photograph may have been released by Bineesh Kodiyeri, one of the guests at a party Jayson had thrown for Swapna Suresh, where the photo was taken. He had organised the party as a gesture of appreciation for Swapna’s help in resolving an issue with his visa at the UAE consulate.
Incidentally, Swapna Suresh was introduced to Jayson by Bineesh Kodiyeri, who apparently advised the minister’s son to hold a party for the benefit of Swapna and helped him to make the arrangements.
The Jayarajan family is believed to claim Jayson has not been in touch with Swapna after 2018, when the party was held. The family apparently believes there is a conspiracy behind the release of the controversial picture, which is now in the possession of the probe agencies.
EP Jayarajan is said to be preparing to raise the issue at the CPI-M state committee meet, to be held ahead of the meeting of the Polit Bureau. As things stand, the problem is likely to go before the Polit Bureau, a highly embarrassing prospect for the party.
