Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 9 (IANS): With the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala in the dock over a few Cooperative bank scams which are currently being probed by the Enforcement Directorate in Trissur district, the CPI -- the second biggest ally in the ruling Left government -- suffered a jolt when one of its top leaders in the state capital district was ‘picked’ up by the probe team.

The ongoing ED raid at the Kandla Service Cooperative Bank that began on Wednesday early morning entered the 27th hour on Thursday and in the process the former president of the Bank, Bhasurangan, was booted out of the CPI.

“When the issue surfaced, first he was moved to a lower committee in the party and now after the ED raid started we have decided to expel him from the party,” said CPI Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Mangodu Radhakarishnan.

Trouble was brewing in the Kandala bank for a while. The depositors of the bank, mostly ordinary people from the rural areas of the state capital city, were up in arms after a fraud of over Rs 100 crore was detected in the bank.

Playing down the raid, State Cooperative Minister V.N. Vasavan said that all that the ED found out was what the Kerala Crime Branch Police had earlier detected.

This statement baffled many and questions were raised as to how could the Pinarayi Vijayan government allow the tainted, Bhasurangan, to continue in the post of Administrative Convener of theThiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (TRCMPU) ofMilma if the police had found out the fraud.

As the raid of the ED was going on late in the night, Bhasurangan developed uneasiness and is presently admitted to a leading private hospital here.

The ED officials have raided multiple locations in the state capital city, including the residence of a few previous officials who were a part of the bank administration along with Bhasurangan.

The CPI leadership has gone into a huddle as a section in the party was unhappy the way Bhasurangan was shielded.