Senior Congress leader and opposition leader in the Kerala assembly VD Satheesan has alleged that the biggest robbery in the history of the state took place in the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank in Thrissur.
Speaking to reporters here, on Sunday, Satheesan said it has become clear that black-money transactions worth Rs 500 crore have also taken place in many cooperative banks in Thrissur district. He alleged that this organized looting was done with the knowledge of the top CPM leaders. “Now, the CPM and the government are also trying to protect these looters,” the opposition leader said.
Satheesan said the CPM is afraid that the “big trees” in the party will be uprooted in the Karuvannur bank scam. He said the party was undermining the credibility of cooperative movements in Kerala by “protecting thugs”.
He said the CPM had clear knowledge about the bank robbery as early as 2011. The ruling party in Kerala, which has played the role of looter, has protected the black-money holders and corrupt people from then onwards till today.
On minister MB Rajesh’s statement that the money involved in Karuvannur cooperative bank scam was a “small one” when compared to other bank scams that took place in the country, Satheesan said the minister is slapping the face of the investors who have lost their entire life’s savings.
He asked the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and the CPM state secretary, MV Govindan, to clarify whether the party and government have the same opinion of the speaker, AN Shamseer, who said that Karuvannur bank scam is a black spot on the face of the cooperative movement in the state.
Seeking a thorough probe into the Karuvannur bank scam, Satheesan warned that if the government tries to protect the looters and betray the investors, then the UDF will intensify its protests.