Kochi: The Congress on Friday held statewide protests demanding resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after Swapna Suresh the prime accused in the gold smuggling case revealed that she has declared in the court about the involvement of the CM, his wife and daughter in the crime. On Friday morning, police in Kannur served a notice to State Congress president K.Sudhakaran saying that they suspect violence during the party’s march to the District Collectorate office, and if so strict action would be taken against him. This was taken up by each leader who inaugurated the protest in front of the remaining 12 district collectorates and also in front of the State secretariat here.
In most of the district headquarters, there were exchange of force between the protesters and the police. At several places, the police were forced to resort to water cannons and lathi charge to disperse them. The most crowded protests were seen at Kannur, which incidentally is the home town of both Vijayan and Sudhakaran. Meanwhile, similar protests was organised by the BJP and their feeder organisations at several places with the same demand that Vijayan should quit immediately as he and his family has done an anti-national act by engaging in smuggling gold and currency. Just before the weekly state secretariat meeting of the CPI-M, state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Friday said both the Congress and the BJP are now hand in glove to create mayhem in the state based on a baseless allegation. Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan said it’s strange that the law is being misused by Vijayan who thinks that he can terrorise people by hoisting police cases against those who speak against him. “Instead of registering cases which will be thrown out even before it’s presented in the court, what Vijayan should have done was to file defamation case against the revelation, instead he has used the law to silence people that none should open their mouth. But that won’t work,” he said.—IANS