THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan takes a dig at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his allegations against the former. The minister sarcastically said the chief minister thinks that the job of the external affairs ministry is to monitor smuggling from abroad. The chief minister doesn’t know what his department is and maybe it’s because he hasn’t served in any central post. The customs comes under the finance department, he said.

The chief minister criticized saying that gold smuggling via diplomatic channel started after Muraleedharan became the union minister. Muraleedharan also responded to criticism for commissioner of customs statement before the High Court. Muraleedharan explained that the customs agency was a party and that it was only natural for a senior official to respond.

Muraleedharan also scoffed the person who wrote release to the chief minister. He has no basic information. Muraleedharan criticized the chief minister for talking rubbish at the press conference.

As the center has a strong-willed finance minister and a finance department, the smuggling initiated by the chief minister after joining hands with foreign nationals were caught red-handed. He said he was relieved that the chief minister did not say that the former was haunting Vinodini Balakrishnan, wife of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. He said that he is appreciating him for being honest in it.