Minister’s ouster calls grow after NIA grilling
Two days after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave a clean chit to the state’s Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel in the Kerala gold smuggling case, the latter was summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) yesterday and was questioned for over eight hours.
The opposition was quick to intensify its demand for Jaleel’s resignation and took to the streets across the state.
At most places they clashed with the police, who used water canons and smoke grenades.
However the Left leadership has ruled out Jaleel’s resignation.
The minister has already been questioned by the enforcement directorate (ED). He arrived at the NIA office around 6am in a vehicle of a former CPI-M legislator. He left the NIA office around 5pm.
An NIA official disclosed that the anti-terror probe agency was going through the digital evidence gathered from Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the case, which points fingers at some ‘influential individuals’.
The official clarified that Jaleel was not named in the case.
Ever since reports last week that Jaleel was questioned by the ED, the opposition parties have been demanding his resignation.
The Yuva Morcha yesterday held a demonstration hailing the NIA.
With the news spreading that Jaleel is being questioned, opposition activists of the Congress and the BJP clashed with the police at several district headquarters demanding his resignation.
At Palakkad Congress legislator V T Balram was injured in a police baton-charge.
Vijayan, however, has feigned ignorance of the developments and has gone on record to state he is clueless as to what wrong Jaleel has committed.
He stressed he did not see any reason for Jaleel to quit.
Reacting to the turn of events, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said Jaleel’s time was up and he has no other option but to quit.
“The ideal situation would be for Vijayan himself to submit his resignation and face the electorate. The NIA is the agency that looks into terror related cases and Jaleel, instead of getting more shamed, should quit. Vijayan is now worried as he fears he will also be questioned. This act of questioning should not be seen lightly,” said Chennithala.
State BJP president K Surendran said Jaleel’s position was weakening by the day as both the ED and the NIA were after him.
“Vijayan is scared. He is worried that he too may be investigated or his other ministers may also be probed. It’s Vijayan who has to quit as he has brought shame to Kerala since some of his ministers are under a cloud,” Surendran claimed.