CPI-M Rallies Behind Kerala CM Vijayan as Daughter Faces SFIO Graft Probe

MADURAI:
The ongoing 24th CPI-M Party Congress in Madurai was jolted on Friday after the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) named Veena Vijayan, daughter of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as an accused in a charge sheet. She is accused of receiving illegal payments amounting to Rs 2.70 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) in exchange for mining sanctions.

Despite the development, the CPI-M leadership swiftly rallied behind Vijayan. Prakash Karat, the party’s in-charge general secretary, stated before heading to the Party Congress venue, “If the agencies think they can target CM Vijayan by registering a case against a family member, the party will deal with it legally and politically.”

M.A. Baby, a CPI-M Politburo member and a frontrunner for the party’s general secretary post, questioned the timing of the charge sheet. “The agency acted while our Party Congress is underway. This clearly indicates an agenda. The party will respond accordingly,” he said.

Kerala CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan also alleged political motives behind the SFIO’s action. “This case involves two companies, and the State government has no role in it. Moreover, three Vigilance Courts had dismissed it, and even the Kerala High Court declined to permit a Vigilance probe last week. There is no evidence against CM Vijayan, and we will challenge this legally and politically,” he asserted.

Several senior CPI-M leaders, including state ministers P. Rajeeve and K.N. Balagopal, along with former minister K.K. Shailaja, voiced strong support for Vijayan.

Meanwhile, both Congress and the BJP have announced statewide protests, demanding Vijayan’s resignation.

Veena Vijayan, named as the second accused in the charge sheet, faces allegations alongside CMRL, Exalogic (a firm linked to her), CMRL’s MD Sasidharan Kartha, and others. This marks the first time in Kerala CPI-M’s history that a Chief Minister’s daughter has been implicated in such a case.

The SFIO has submitted the charge sheet at a Special Economic Offenses Court in Kochi, and sources suggest the CPI-M is likely to challenge it legally. Now, attention turns to whether the SFIO will summon Veena Vijayan for questioning.

Veena, who is married to Kerala Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas, has remained silent on the issue, as have CM Vijayan and Riyas.