MoS V Muraleedharan slams Kerala CM for row over privatisation of Trivandrum airport

Union Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Wednesday lashed out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging that the Chief Minister is "hell-bent on depriving people of Kerala of progress and development". He also slammed the Kerala government for being embroiled in a series of scandals such as the Life Mission scam and the Gold smuggling racket among others, while calling the Chief Minister's allegations on the privatisation of operations and management of Thiruvananthapuram Airport as "baseless".

Taking to Twitter, Muraleedharan said that Vijayan is agitated that people would choose development politics of BJP over the "regressive and anti-development".

Muraleedharan's tweets:

This onslaught from the Union Minister has come after Vijayan criticised the privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram airport earlier in the day and said the move comes at a time when an appeal in the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.

"The Kerala Government has approached the Supreme Court against the privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram airport. The case is under the consideration but, the Central government has signed the agreement due to its deep interest in this matter," Vijayan said.

He lambasted the Centre, alleging, "the Central government is continuously taking a stand against federal principles, it is neglecting the state's demands."

The state government had challenged the Centre's decision in Kerala High Court, to lease out the right of operation, management and development of the Thiruvananthapuram international airport to Adani Enterprises Limited. The High Court had dismissed the plea of the state government on October 19, after which the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government moved the Supreme Court where the matter is now subjudice.

READ | Kerala CM Flays Takeover Of Thiruvananthapuram Airport By Adani Group

READ | In Kerala Gold Smuggling Case, Court Extends Remand Of Swapna & Other Accused Till Feb 2

Massive gold smuggling scam

The Kerala Government has come under intense political criticism after the ex-secretary to Kerala CM was found to be accused in the massive gold smuggling racket. The case is associated with alleged gold smuggling in the state through diplomatic channels. The scam had come to the fore when 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore was being smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage and was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthpuram on July 5, 2020.

Sarith Kumar, who worked at the UAE Consulate, was arrested in this regard. Reportedly, he told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh, an ex-consulate employee who was appointed by Kerala CM's ex-secretary M Sivasankar, as a manager in Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd. After the alleged complicity of Kerala CM's ex-secretary M Sivasankar and the following backlash, he was suspended from his post while Swapna Suresh was also sacked by the state government. Moreover, pictures of the chief minister with Swapna Suresh emerged which further led to the questioning of CM's complicity in the racket. The case is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Customs Department. The NIA had also alleged that the smuggled gold was not used for jewellery purposes but for funding terror activities.

READ | In Kerala Gold Smuggling Case, Court Extends Remand Of Swapna & Other Accused Till Feb 2

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