Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday said that he will seek a report from the state government on the action taken by it against gold smugglers, who are using ill-gotten money for anti-national activities. He was referring to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s recent statement in an interview with a newspaper, linking hawala money and gold seizures from the Malappuram district to extremists belonging to a particular minority community, for orchestrating anti-state and anti-national activities. Khan told media persons in Palakkad that the matter is serious, and the Chief Minister should spell out the action taken against the culprits, as his government is aware of the groups involved in such activities. "He is holding the reins of power. He cannot just talk to the press and take no action. Why has no action been taken? Whose fault is it if action is not being taken? It is a serious matter. I have read about it only today," the Governor told reporters.
The Congress and its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had lashed out at Vijayan over his remarks, saying that people of Malappuram were being targeted to settle his scores with Nilambur MLA P V Anvar.Anvar, who was earlier backed by the Left alliance, has been locking horns with the ruling CPI(M) and Vijayan for the past few weeks over various issues, which has led to the Communist party cutting ties with him. The Nilambur MLA has been accusing ADGP (Law and Order), M R Ajithkumar and other senior police officials of not following proper procedure while seizing gold illegally brought from abroad.
Related Items
Trump's defense secretary pick supports Israel's action against Hamas
CAG report on excise policy exposes Kejriwal & AAP: Nadda
Kerala to be free from extreme poverty this year, says CM