CPM lashes out at Enforcement Directorate

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI(M) in Kerala on Saturday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate had become an agency which was destroying its own credibility on a daily basis and those who came to probe the gold smuggling case were investigating everything else and trying to target and overthrow the government.
The Marxist party also said the credibility of the central agency should be assessed in the light of the facts that legal experts had openly criticised the BJP government at the Centre over extending the term of the ED director in an extraordinary manner.

In a statement, the Left party also alleged that in the gold smuggling case, the central agency was repeating the same what the opposition Congress and BJP were saying.

The CPI(M)'s reaction came soon after a section of media quoted the ED sources saying that the release of a voice clip, purported to be that of gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh, was to destroy its credibility.

The voice clip purported to be that of Suresh, now in judicial custody, alleging Central agencies were putting pressure on her to give a statement against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan created a stir in the southern state.

"The explanation that the move is to undermine the credibility of the Enforcement Directorate is ridiculous," the CPI(M) said.

The purported reaction of ED, which appeared in a section of the media, revealed that the agency was also part of the criminal conspiracy to overthrow the Left government, it said.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the CPI(M), is organising a mass gathering in the state on November 25 against the alleged misuse of power to curtail development by central agencies.