Karuvannur bank fraud: CPM cries foul over summons to CPM functionaries

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM cried foul over summons issued to senior CPM functionaries in connection with Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam. CPM state secretariat in a statement here on Saturday said BJP was engaged in a political witch-hunt against CPM.

PMLA court has issued summons to CPM central committee member and MP K Radhakrishnan, state committee member and MLA A C Moideen and state committee member M M Varghese, among others, to appear on July 4.

“Dragging the party and those who were district secretaries at the time into the case over the bank’s irregularities is unprecedented. It is evident they have been implicated with political motives. This is part of a calculated plan — acting as BJP lackeys — to defame popular leaders and thereby weaken the party itself. CPM will not surrender to this,” CPM secretariat said the statement.

People know well functionaries like Radhakrishnan, Moideen and Varghese. Kerala’s public will not believe ED if it claims they engaged in corruption, looted anyone or laundered black money. As district secretaries, they worked to expose those behind the scam and to save the bank, the secretariat claimed. Standing with govt, they fought the corrupt, helped restore bank’s functioning and set up arrangements to return depositors’ money. They also worked to ensure the bank could operate smoothly as before, the statement added.

“The facts and the accused in the allegations against Karuvannur Bank came to light through investigations by state police and cooperation department. While crime branch probe was still progressing, ED stepped in driven by political interests,” the statement said.

The notion that CPM can be destroyed by hunting its functionaries is merely the wishful thinking of central BJP and agencies like ED. BJP may gain by intimidating other parties or functionaries, dragging them to court, and using ED, but it should not expect that from CPM. State secretariat said the vindictive moves of ED must be recognised and that the case will be confronted both legally and politically.

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM cried foul over the summons issued to senior CPM functionaries in connection with the Karuvannur cooperative bank scam. CPM state secretariat in a statement here on Saturday said the BJP was engaged in a political witchunt against CPM.