'Did Rahul Gandhi send the ED?' Chief Minister snaps back at Opposition

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the Governor’s policy address in the Assembly reflected the policies and vision of the government. He said Kerala is stepping into a new era and that the policy address made it clear the government would fully implement the promises given to the people during the election campaign.

“We will overcome all challenges through democratic means and move towards a new era. The five Indira Guarantees announced during the elections will be implemented. Decisions have already been taken on two of them. Other programmes will be announced at the appropriate time after examining the financial situation,” the Chief Minister said.

He added that transforming Kerala into a major port-based economy is one of the government’s dream projects. The government plans to launch a major initiative integrating two international ports, one container terminal and 17 mini ports.

“We have four international airports and several aviation projects in hand. The aim is to turn Kerala into the largest aviation hub in South Asia,” Satheesan said.

Reacting to Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan’s remarks during the policy address discussion, Satheesan said the current government is not following the policies of the previous Pinarayi government.

The Chief Minister also responded to criticism over not reacting immediately to the ED raid at Pinarayi Vijayan’s house. He said he should at least be given the right to decide when to respond to such issues.

“While the media was seeking my reaction, a channel microphone was pushed into my face. I did not say anything then. I will respond at the appropriate time. I am not someone who runs away from questions. Just as the media has the right to ask questions, I also have the right to decide when to answer,” he said.

Satheesan pointed out that the case was registered by a central agency and that the investigation was being carried out as part of legal procedures. "The state government has no role in this. We were not even informed about the raids. Even the police were not informed. Still, seeing crowds gathering at the spot, the Home Minister deployed police personnel to prevent any law and order issues. I appreciate him for that. It helped avoid several possible conflicts,” he said.

He also noted that the case was registered four years ago, but no action was taken while the LDF government was in power. Criticising Pinarayi Vijayan, Satheesan said the Opposition leader blamed Rahul Gandhi instead of questioning the BJP or the Central government.

“When Rahul Gandhi faced an ED case, he did not send Congress workers to attack ED vehicles. He faced the case politically and underwent 56 hours of questioning. If CPM believes the case against the Chief Minister’s daughter is politically motivated, the party can protest politically. But the state government cannot criticise an investigation being conducted under High Court supervision,” the CM added.