With ex-Kerala Travancore Board chief Vasu's arrest, CPI-M can't shirk responsibility in Sabarimala gold heist: Cong

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 11 The Congress, on Tuesday, accused the Kerala government of direct complicity in the Sabarimala gold heist, alleging that the third accused in the case, N. Vasu, acted under the political patronage of the CPI-M leadership.

Vasu's arrest was recorded on Tuesday evening by the SIT constituted by the Kerala High Court and thereafter he was produced before the local court in Pathanamthitta district which send him to judicial custody till November 24.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Working President and MLA A.P. Anil Kumar said on Tuesday that the CPI-M cannot escape moral and political responsibility for the large-scale theft that took place under the aegis of the State Devaswom Board.

"Vasu is not an outsider but a staunch CPI-M cadre and one of the most trusted members of the state committee. His appointment to key posts, from the Nayanar Cabinet to the current Pinarayi Vijayan government, was never accidental. Every major posting he held -- including as President of the Travancore Devaswom Board -- was a political decision of the CPI-M," Anil Kumar alleged.

He said that Vasu formed the crucial link between the CPI-M and the gold heist, which has severely tainted the administration's image.

The Congress leader also charged that former Devaswom Minister and senior legislator Kadakampally Surendran and the State Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan, were also complicit in the incident.

"Their roles should be thoroughly probed, and both must be brought within the ambit of the investigation," Anil Kumar added.

Accusing the CPI-M government of shielding those involved in the gold heist case, Anil Kumar said the truth emerged only because the inquiry was conducted under the direct supervision of the Kerala High Court.

"It is due to judicial oversight that the probe, though delayed, finally reached the real culprits," he added.

He also demanded that Vasavan accept moral responsibility and resign immediately from the Cabinet.

The CPI-M's attacks on the court, Anil Kumar said, reveal the party's anxiety that the investigation could lead to top leaders's involvement.

"The UDF has long said this is not a government, but a regime of looters. The unfolding developments only prove that right," he added.

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