THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former minister and Congress MLA V S Sivakumar said the raid by the vigilance on Thursday was a reply to the allegations levelled against him. Though a search was conducted at his house for 17 hours, nothing could be found.

Sivakumar alleged that the vigilance raid was a game plan of corrupt Left government to tarnish my image and settle political scores.

'The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) raid at my house here has failed to unearth anything and is in fact a blessing since authorities have realised that I have financial liabilities too,' claimed Sivakumar.

The raid began on Thursday morning and ended in the wee hours of Friday. "It is for the third time that they are registering a case against me after two failed attempts. It is nothing but a game plan of the corrupt Pinarayi Vijayan government to tarnish my image as it is caught up in numerous scams.

"Local bodies’ polls are round the corner... they are settling political scores as I had vehemently attacked the budget," Sivakumar told the media at his residence here.

He claimed that the VACB action was based on an anonymous complaint about his alleged assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. VACB officials had searched the houses of Sivakumar's three aides also on Thursday on suspicion of holding Sivakumar's benami assets.

The vigilance had filed an FIR against him naming him as the first accused in the case.

‘What I said is true that Thiruvananthapuram got nothing during the tenure of this government. If the city has got any benefit, it was when I was the minister during the previous government. Seven bridges were built during the tenure of the UDF government,’ he said.