"Baseless and false propaganda": Kerala CM responds to Adoor Prakash allegations in Sabarimala gold theft case

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 1 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday strongly rejected allegations made by UDF convener and Congress MP Adoor Prakash that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and his Political Secretary P. Sasi were behind media reports claiming that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had summoned Prakash for questioning in the Sabarimala gold theft case.
Responding to the allegation, Vijayan said such accusations were being made habitually and were intended to divert attention from the core issues under investigation.
"Responding to allegations raised habitually by some people will never really bring an end to such reactions," the Chief Minister said, while underlining that the probe is being conducted under the direct supervision of the Kerala High Court.
"One fact that everyone has been clearly aware of from the beginning must be noted that the investigation in our State is being conducted under the supervision of the High Court. It is well known that the High Court is leading this process," Vijayan said.
He added that the SIT had so far operated effectively and that no specific complaints had been raised regarding the investigation.
The Chief Minister categorically denied any government interference. Vijayan noted that the SIT's constitution was established at the State government's insistence. "In fact, it was on our insistence that a Special Investigation Team was constituted and that the investigation be carried out under the High Court's monitoring. Accordingly, we have not attempted any kind of interference," he added.
Furthermore, the CMO office said, "There is also a strict court directive that details of the investigation should not be made public. Neither the Chief Minister's Office nor the Political Secretary has any role in this matter. The MP's allegation is a totally baseless and false propaganda."
The Chief Minister alleged that the accusations against the CMO were being made to evade accountability. "When people are unable to give clear answers to the real questions, they assume that by levelling an allegation against the Chief Minister's Office, they can somehow escape responsibility. That is not how things work," he said.
Referring to the emergence of Adoor Prakash's name in the investigation, Vijayan said it came after a photograph that had been mentioned at a previous press conference was circulated. "At what stage does the name of Adoor Prakash come into this issue? His name surfaced when a photograph emerged," the Chief Minister said.
According to Vijayan, the photograph showed Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Adoor Prakash, and two other individuals from Pathanamthitta. "Who were the people standing next to Sonia Gandhi? One of them was Potti, who has now emerged as a key accused in this case. It was said that Potti was 'brought in'. Where was he first brought in? That was the occasion," he said.
"Potti did not reach there alone -- along with him were others, including a trader whom the investigation team has now identified as the person who purchased the gold," Vijayan said.
Raising a series of questions, the Chief Minister said, "How did these two individuals manage to reach, at the same time, someone like Sonia Gandhi -- a political leader with the highest level of security in India? The person who made allegations against the Chief Minister's Office claimed that he had no role and that he went there because he was invited. Is he someone who must go whenever Potti calls? Why should he go to Potti's call? How did all these people come together?"