Enforcement Directorate is just doing its job: Union minister
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Thiruvananthapuram: Responding to Kerala’s ruling CPI (M)’s criticism on Enforcement Directorate, Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on Tuesday said that the ED is just doing its job.
Chaudhary was responding to questions about the manner in which the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and its leaders have been attacking the ED ever since it began probing an alleged Rs 500 crore loan scam in the Thrissur-based Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan and other party leaders have attacked the Centre for using the ED to target its political rivals.
Their attack intensified after top CPI(M) legislator and former State Minister AC Moideen’s house was raided.
Moideen has already made one appearance before the ED officials, but did not turn up the second time that he was summoned citing inconvenience due to other commitments.
The CPI(M) brass have claimed that the hugely successful cooperative sector is being targeted by the Centre to unsettle Kerala.
“There is nothing political in the questioning of Moideen. The ED does conduct raids all across the country. Just allow it to do its job,” added Chaudhary.
The ED has arrested two persons, P Satheesh Kumar and P Kiran so far in the Karuvannur case besides questioning close to a dozen people, including officials and the board of directors of the bank.
On Monday former CPI(M) legislator MK Kannan after a seven hour questioning session said that a group of ED officials put him under duress and wanted him to give false statements. Kannan has been asked to reappear on Friday.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and top BJP leader from the state V Muraleedharan took pot shots at the CPI(M) leadership who often say they have nothing to fear as they have done no wrong.
“If that be the case, then why are they running away from the ED and not appearing before it as asked. If they have nothing to fear, they should quickly go before ED and say that, rather than say they are being haunted and hunted,” said Muraleedharan.
- IANS with superficial edits