Kollam: Union Minister and BJP MP Suresh Gopi on Thursday said the investigation into the Sabarimala gold smuggling case is currently a police probe under the direct supervision of the court, but asserted that Central agencies, including the CBI, NIA and the Enforcement Directorate, are likely to step in next.
“When that stage comes, no one should wring their hands and cry foul,” he remarked, hinting at what he described as an inevitable expansion of the inquiry.
Addressing the BJP-led NDA’s Kollam Corporation candidates’ meet and development charter release, Minister Gopi launched a sharp attack on the state government, alleging habitual attempts to politicise investigations.
He also referred to the case registered against him for allegedly pushing aside a person, stating that he is fully cooperating with the legal process.
“Kerala has a society that twists incidents and builds narratives out of nothing,” he said, without naming his critics.
On the ED notice issued to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Masala Bond matter, the Union Minister clarified that the notice was not a directive to appear in person. “It is only to provide a reply. Whether it is KIIFB or anything else, proper accounting is mandatory. You may mislead the public, but you cannot mislead the system,” he said, adding that financial scrutiny cannot be brushed aside with political rhetoric.
Gopi also predicted that the BJP would register a clear victory in the Nemom constituency in the upcoming elections.
“The people of Nemom will elect the BJP again. Certain ministers are already nervous and shaken by that prospect,” he said, calling the party’s prospects in the capital region strong and growing.
The actor-turned-politician, who has increasingly emerged as one of the BJP’s more vocal figures in Kerala, used the event to accuse the ruling front in the state of fearing transparent investigations.
The NDA event marked the formal unveiling of its civic election agenda for Kollam, with leaders insisting that corruption-free governance and improved civic services would form the core of their campaign narrative.
(IANS)
