Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday rejected the allegation that the surprise raid by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE) offices reflected a rift in the government and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Mr. Vijayan said the innuendo was a media invention. He had no rupture with Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac or CPI(M) State committee secretariat member Anathalavattom Anandan as alleged in the media.
Dr. Isaac and Mr. Anandan had said the raid served the business purpose of private chit firms seeking to elbow the KSFE aside for a larger piece of the estimated ₹1 lakh crore financial pie.
The Communist Party of India had also echoed a similar sentiment. The Congress had interpreted the statements as indicative of a mustering of forces against Mr. Vijayan in the government and the party.
Mr. Vijayan said the media had “deviously” read too much into a “routine Vigilance inspection”. The press had acted as a “fake news syndicate”. The raid was a routine inspection based on an intelligence report vetted by the Vigilance Directorate.
The KSFE had aired an apprehension whether the inspection would erode its financial credibility and drive away customers to the embrace of private chit firms. The government would verify the Vigilance’s final report and decide on its merit, he said.
The media should stick to facts. Empirical evidence should inform their analysis and not personal bias and political prejudice, he said.
