Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4 (IANS): A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a public meeting in Trissur that everyone knows through which office the smuggling of gold took place (referring to the infamous 2020 gold smuggling case in which the role of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office came under the scanner after his principal secretary M. Sivasankar was arrested for his close ties with the prime accused in the case, Swapna Suresh), the Congress said the BJP and the CPI(M) are hand in glove.

State Congress president K. Sudhakaran said everyone knows that Vijayan is being shielded by none other than Modi.

“ Five central agencies came in a flash and started the probe, but in the 2021 assembly polls the BJP joined hands with the CPI-M by transferring votes to the Left and this enabled Vijayan to get a successive term in office,” said Sudhakaran.

“The SNC Lavalin case ( which is before the Supreme Court in which a decision has to be taken if Vijayan needs to be arraigned as an accused being probed by the CBI) has been adjourned 38 times and this shows Modi is protecting Vijayan. I wish to know why Modi failed to take any action in the gold smuggling case, while chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states are being hounded,” said Sudhakaran.

He added that Kerala was eagerly waiting for Modi’s visit as during his recent visit to Uttar Pradesh he announced a package of Rs15,700 crores for the state, but all we got was a statement, 'Modi Guarantee’. Vijayan should act boldly and see that he gets what our state has to get. Vijayan is scared of Modi and that’s why in his statewide trip, he never said a word against Modi.”