Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the investigations by the Central agencies into the diplomatic channel gold and dollar smuggling cases will go on and those who are afraid of facing the law are ‘unleashing’ the State police against Central agencies.
“There is no political connotation to the inquiry going on for months. The move by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government for a judicial inquiry against the Enforcement Directorate was an attempt to derail the probe,” Ms. Sitharaman, who was here for campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates, told a press conference on Sunday.
Stating that there is “absolute prima facie” case in gold and dollar smuggling and even drug peddling, the Minister said, “if you are clean, prove it. If you are not, then I am sorry, this is absolutely wrong…The person who unleashes his own investigative or State police officers is the one who is frightened of facing the law. The one who is frightened, therefore retaliates not in a lawful way to threaten us. Investigation will go on.”
CMO’s patronage
Ms. Sitharaman said people had been caught red-handed for gold and dollar smuggling and claimed such people had patronage from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Lashing out at the LDF government, she said “a graceful and more dignified way would be to face the law. There was a time when the Marxists were respected for simplicity, ideological commitment and down to earth connectivity with people. Today, they are altogether different.”
C&AG report
On the controversy surrounding the C&AG report over Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, the Finance Minister said the constitutional body had observed that it was ‘improper” to create an agency to get work done. “The government is trying to twist facts and reveal story partially. Defend gracefully and factually and do not give counter allegations,” she reminded State Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac.
Expressing hope that the attempts of the NDA combine to come closer to the people by projecting development and growth will succeed, the BJP leader said the Congress and LDF had ‘fixed’ the match in Kerala and that Congress is the ‘B’ team of the LDF.
Fuel price
On the rising fuel prices, the Finance Minister said she and the Centre was in ‘Dharma Sankat’ as the question of fuel price was being raised only against the Centre whereas the tax was being levied by the State as well. Both the Centre and the State would have to talk about it.
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