Kannur: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tore into Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said he was never jailed in any murder case. Pinarayi Vijayanj however, asserted that Shah was jailed for it. Shah while addressing a mammoth party meeting Sunday in the Kerala capital, had asked a few questions to Vijayan about gold smuggling and the reverse dollar hawala case that has rocked the government.
Vijayan was in full flow Monday while launching the April 6 Assembly elections campaign at his home turf here He went hammer and tongs at Shah.
“Yesterday he (Shah) had asked me a few questions. What I have to tell him is that I was never in jail for murder and such crimes. However, there is one person who went to jail for it, his name is Amit Shah. He also spoke about a suspicious murder that took place, we want him to say about the case and if said, we will conduct a proper probe. You need not create a smokescreen,” said Vijayan.
“In 2010, in the Sohrabuddin case which was a fake encounter case, who was charge-sheeted for that. Amit Shah might have forgotten but all know it was Amit Shah. Please do not teach us anything. The CBI judge Lodha died in mysterious circumstances and his family is still searching for justice,” added Vijayan, whose statements were greeted with huge applause.
“Who was the person who created Acche Din for a person’s company whose assets grew to Rs 16,000 crore. Pinarayi Vijayan is not like that and the people know about it. Your culture is different from ours. Your ways will not work here as Kerala is different,” asserted the Kerala chief minister.
Vijayan told Shah that as Union Home Minister he will get respect only when he respects others.
“Yesterday, he asked me a few questions, I wish to ask him a few questions. When the gold smuggling through the diplomatic baggage was first reported, a Sangh Parivar personality was involved, don’t you know that? The Customs which is under the control of the Centre is in full control of Thiruvananthapuram airport and ever since the BJP started ruling the Centre, this airport has become the hub of gold smuggling. Amit Shah has to answer this. Also a Union Minister of State has a role besides various Sangh Parivar people have been appointed in this airport. The central agencies began their probe well, but when it started to reach some people of Amit Shah and others, the course of the probe changed directions. Where has the smuggled gold disappeared, why can’t it be located,” asked Vijayan.
He told the gathering that this is a political fight and our opponents do not play the game in the proper way so we have to fight it out.
“Over the years we have fought off everything that came against us. No force can stop us and so let us go forward the way we handled the local body polls,” added Vijayan.