Responding to the vigilance probe ordered against Opposition leader VD Satheesan over accepting foreign fund for ‘Punarjani’ project implemented in his constituency after the 2018 floods, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ordered the investigation against Satheesan with political motivation.

He alleged that this is part of the LDF government’s tactics of silencing those who point out the misdeeds of the government and speak against the government. Chennithala said the Pinarayi government in Kerala is following the same stand that Narendra Modi is taking at the Centre.

KPCC president K Sudhkaran on Saturday said the LDF government is harassing Satheesan just as they have done to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The LDF government ordered a probe against Oommen Chandy to intimidate him, he said.

The Chief Minister should at least withdraw from such actions  as the Kerala society is aware of  his  crooked tactics, Sudhakaran said here.

Opposition leader VD Satheesan said the Vigilance probe was  ordered  against him  at a time when the chief minister is in the dock over the unauthorised fundraising for the Loka Kerala Sabha event in New York.

“The  Vigilance  probe against him was an attempt by the Chief Minister to hide the unauthorised fund  collection of money for the Loka Kerala Sabha event,” he said

“I have a request to the Chief Minister’s office. When Pinarayi Vijayan calls from the US, you should tell him the opposition leader was terrified to hear the news about the Vigilance probe,” Satheesan said sarcastically while speaking to the media in Kochi on Saturday.

He added that  people are intelligent enough to see through the timing of the vigilance probe ordered against him by the Chief Minister.

The LDF government  in Kerala has ordered a vigilance inquiry against senior Congress leader and opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan over accepting foreign funds for the ‘Punarjani’ project implemented in his constituency after the 2018 floods.

The inquiry was ordered on the basis of allegations that Satheesan  had collected  funds from abroad for the  ‘Punarjani’project without the permission of the central government.

It has been  reported that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who handles the home department including the Vigilance, has given permission for the investigation against the Opposition leader just before he embarked on an eight-day foreign tour of the US and Cuba on Thursday.