Kerala CM defends Sivasankar, attacks media

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 9 Appearing before the media after a gap of 137 days, kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday defended his former principal secretary M. Sivasankar who was jailed in the gold smuggling case. Vijayan also defended the contents of Sivasankar's book which has practically reopened the case after a gap.

Piggy riding on the response that veteran media personality Sasikumar had, Vijayan said he wishes to agree with what he had said about the disclosure of Sivasankar.

"I wish to agree with what he (Sasikumar) said. The book is critical of the way media and various national agencies viewed that case. And it's quite natural you (media) are upset with that. The victims of his writings are upset and it is not quite natural that they will not hit back," said Vijayan.

In the autobiography, Sivasankar revealed that he never did any favour to Swapna Suresh (the prime accused in the gold smuggling case) and also added that he never knew the iPhone that was gifted to him by her was part of a bribe.

Countering Sivasankar, Swapna Suresh told the media that it was he who destroyed her life and all what she knew, he also knew.

She also said that it was Sivasankar and others who helped her travel to Bangalore in 2020 July, soon after the gold smuggling case surfaced and also had revealed that her audio clips which came out then giving a clean chit to Vijayan was also done according to the script of Sivasankar.

When this question again surfaced, a peeved Vijayan said, "it's understandable that you (media) are taking up this again, but I do not wish to take sides."

To repeated question if the government gave permission to Sivasankar to write the book, he said he will look into it.

And in response to the tweaking of the Lokayukta Act, he said that some of the sections here are not there in any other state, moreover the Lokpal Bill also is now in force.

"We got legal opinion on this and we went ahead with it," said Vijayan and when asked that the second biggest ally of his Left Front the CPI has expressed its displeasure on the tweak, he said, unless he talks with them, he is unable to say anything on it.

Incidentally, Vijayan last met the media on September 25 and despite numerous issues, he preferred to duck the media and even the Congress led Opposition had slammed him for his silence.

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