Offended by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s allegation that the CM had something to hide regarding alleged anti-national activities, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sent a hard-hitting reply to the Governor, stating that the allegation “of having something for me to hide is wholly unwarranted. I take strong exception to the said statement and, with the utmost respect, place my protest before you for making such farfetched and baseless allegations.”
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Vijayan also informed the Governor that there is laxity on the part of the Customs Department in checking gold smuggling at airports.
In his reply to the letter from Governor Khan, CM Vijayan said, “It should be appreciated that the arrival of gold escaping scrutiny at the airport is due to laxity on the part of the Customs Department and not the state government.”
The responsibility for the arrival of duty-evaded gold does not lie with the state government, he added.
“Despite this, we have been keeping utmost vigilance on this matter,” CM Vijayan added.
The CM also requested the Governor to raise the issue of gold smuggling through airports with the Union Ministry concerned. He stated that he does not intend to engage in a continued debate as he has made his position amply clear.
The CM reiterated that there was absolutely no mention of any anti-national or anti-state activities occurring in the state in any of his public statements.
However, the Governor reiterated his allegations to the media, stating that the CM lacked credibility.
“The CM says he has not engaged any PR agency. The newspaper said the interview was arranged by a PR agency. If he has not engaged the PR agency, why didn’t he file a suit against the newspaper?” the Governor asked.
The Governor asserted that he had the authority to seek details from the government. “I have every authority, and soon you will come to know whether I have authority or not,” he said.
Governor Khan added that the Kerala Police website had stated that the proceeds from gold smuggling and other crimes were being used for anti-national activities.
On Thursday, the Governor accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of failing to inform him about gold smuggling activities in the state.
“If a serious crime is happening, the government should notify me. It took over 20 days to get an explanation from the Chief Minister,” he said.
Governor Khan summoned the Chief Secretary and the Police Chief as the Chief Minister did not reply to his letter sent earlier.
In the letter, the Governor sought a report from Chief Minister Vijayan on his controversial statements made during an interview given to national media, alleging that the money amassed through gold smuggling is being used for anti-national activities.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Police on Thursday rejected media reports quoting Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as saying that information on the police website indicated that proceeds from gold smuggling were being used to fund banned organisations.
“It is clarified that the official website of the Kerala Police has never carried any such statement at any point in time. It has published only statistical details of seizures of gold and currency with period-wise details,” the state police media centre said in a statement.
