Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 20 (IANS) Former Left Minister and MLA P.A. Mohammed Riyas has launched a strong counterattack against a media report linking him to alleged financial transactions involving his wife Veena Vijayan, as the Enforcement Directorate’s latest findings threaten to turn the investigation into a wider political challenge for the CPI(M) state leadership.
In a social media post on Thursday, Riyas described the report carried by a media organisation as a complete lie and denied allegations that money received by Veena from CMR for services had been transferred through his bank account to the accounts of several persons.
He also rejected the claim that he had been questioned over the phone twice in connection with the transactions.
Riyas said he would initiate legal action against the report, which carried his photograph prominently, and maintained that he had already given the media a detailed response to the matters relating to the ED investigation.
“I have done nothing wrong and therefore have the confidence and clear understanding that I can face this legally,” Riyas said, while adding that he would not respond to what he termed baseless report appearing every day since the investigation was underway and the matter was being dealt with legally.
The statement assumes added political significance because Riyas is married to Veena, the daughter of former Chief Minister and CPI(M) Politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan.
The ED’s latest findings, including its description of certain transactions as allegedly involving hawala, have placed the financial dealings of Veena’s company under an unprecedented political spotlight.
The CPI(M) state leadership, meanwhile, has decided to take the political battle directly to the people by defending Veena and challenging the ED’s actions.
A political meeting is scheduled to be held in Kozhikode on Sunday to explain the party’s position on the agency’s investigation.
The choice of Kozhikode, Riyas’s political home turf, adds another dimension to the exercise.
Pinarayi Vijayan has consistently maintained that he has nothing to fear and that his hands are clean.
But with the ED putting out increasingly pointed findings, questions are being raised whether the political defence mounted by the former Chief Minister can withstand the growing scrutiny.
Vijayan is also set to address a meeting of the party’s youth wing as it prepares to announce a new set of office-bearers.
His response, and the manner in which the party presents its defence of Veena, will therefore be closely watched.
For the CPI(M), the issue has now moved beyond an investigation involving an individual.
The manner in which the state unit confronts the ED, the credibility of Riyas’s counterclaim and, crucially, how the party’s national leadership responds could determine the next phase of what is rapidly becoming a politically sensitive battle.
–IANS
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